A Montana Journal, February, ca 2020 There was deep trepidation in them high mountains this day, and, soon coming, plentiful pain. As yours truly embarked on new and novel adventure – cross-country skiing. Never before here on the green side of my mortal existence had I contemplated the strapping on of thin wood planks to foot and sliding across snowy cover. But I have a friend, name of Bill, who thought I might enjoy giving this thing a go. I recollect when friend Bill introduced me to elk hunting. Tho toting no long-gun nor pistol myself, I trailed with him up savagely vertical ascent covering some twenty-and-five-mile of rugged mountainsides into them high forests, until lungs come to screaming for air and body was in agony from climb. It weren’t ‘til after this torturous trek I come to discover friend Bill must be a stranger to the truth, as he related we’d only hiked along old dirt road two maybe three mile at best. Based on bodily suffering endured by yours truly, I re...