It feels like this past month I’ve been tying up every loose end imaginable. Between doctor appointments (nothing serious, just annual physical stuff and follow-ups), making sure I logged 100 ski days (see below), traveling and completing my 2-day Telemark Ski Instructor exam (also see below), and traveling to and from Green Bay, WI, to visit family, I haven’t had any sort of normal routine.

It’s all good stuff, but I’m grateful things are winding down. I’ll also be starting my summer job around May 13th, so I’m looking forward to that. I have an earlier work start this summer since Memorial Day Weeked is so early. That, and the fact that all the snow has melted out in the lower elevations. This is despite the fact that April was so snowy.

This month, I wrote a long-winded update and personal reintroduction over at Tahoe Trail Guide so click this link or the thumbnail image to the left to read it. I’m hoping that by posting something new for the first time in a long time (doh!), that I’ll be able to build a little momentum for writing more articles this summer!

Interestingly enough, April might have been our snowiest month of the winter. While I appreciate any and all precipitation, I was disappointed that it came a bit late. Basically, most of the local ski resorts had already closed up shop by the time some of the bigger storms rolled through. That, and a lot of that new snow fell on bare ground since much of the snowpack had already melted in the lower elevations. Oh well, that’s why you gotta get to skiing early and often each season!

On April 20-21, I was at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area for my 2-day Telemark Ski Instructor exam. The venue had changed from Palisades, just outside of Tahoe City, to Mammoth based on the low snow winter we had in Tahoe. Mammoth sits at 9,000+ feet so it had plenty of snow. The first day was a bluebird spring skiing experience, while the second featured near-blizzard conditions. Crazy! I spent a lot of time this season preparing for the exam since it’s technically my first downhill-related instructor certification. The experience was rewarding overall, but I’m so glad that it’s over! haha 🙂

Pictured at left is the PSIA Telemark Ski instructor pin (level 1) that I was awarded after successfully completing the exam.

Here are some birds that I photographed last month. I’m sure I’ve said it before, but it’s just so nice to go out and find whatever birds that cross my path without worrying about whether or not I’ll be able to count them for my list. I’m really enjoying birding for the sake of birding 🙂

I have a very sneaky suspicion that these will be the last cross-country skiing videos that I post for the 2025-26 season. The vlog, below, documents my 100th day of the season. And then I logged two more ski days during my Telemark Ski Instructor exam in Mammoth a couple of days later. Since then, I’ve had a number of commitments that have prevented me from skiing. But it’s okay. 102 days for the winter is fine with me 🙂