The Gliding Through Nordic Fields

By Mark Doherty

Vividly described winter scenes and lively classroom and coaching moments create an engaging story about how high school English teacher Jack Carment battles prejudice, discrimination, and finance shortfalls to start up a Nordic skiing program at his new school in Montana. This is the third Jack Carment Tale in a series of four lively stories about Jack's love for the outdoors and passion for sharing his world with his students. Similar to the other four novellas, Jack spends quality time on outdoor adventures both to problem solve and to reflect on his work life as a dedicated and committed high school English teacher. These stories are filled with lively dialogue and repartee, wonderful description, and moments of philosophical thought.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mark Doherty
• Release date: Mar 1, 2024
• ISBN: 9798223412564

Mark Doherty

Mark Doherty was born and raised in the Colorado Rockies where he developed his passion for both the outdoors and music. After graduating from Western State College of Colorado with a BA in English and Writing, he moved to Moab, Utah where he worked as a guide, musician, and carpenter for nearly ten years. In 1993 he moved to the Salt Lake City area to work as a high school English teacher. He retired from teaching in 2021 and now spends his time writing, playing music, and doing woodworking. In 2016 he completed his MA degree in English, Creative Nonfiction and has produced his sixth manuscript Creativity, Teaching, and Natural Inspiration. His seventh book length work of creative nonfiction will be completed sometime in 2024. In his free time, he and his wife spend as much time as possible hiking, skiing, ocean kayaking, bicycling, and backpacking.

Book preview

The Gliding Through Nordic Fields

The Third Jack Carment Tale

(The Howling of Holcomb Peak—First Tale)

(The Light of Shimmering Cove—Second Tale)

(The Cascading of Mountain Poetry—Fourth Tale)

by Mark Doherty

Contents:

Chapter 1 Morning at Eagle Creek Yurt

Chapter 2 First Visit to Elkhorn High

Chapter 3 Breakfast & Departure From Yurt

Chapter 4 Storms and Struggles

Chapter 5 Pure White and Climbing to the Pass

Chapter 6 XC Skis as a Writing Topic

Chapter 7 Deep Powder Telemarking

Chapter 8 Debate is Over, Skiing Begins

Chapter 9 Joe Lymann's Regime

Chapter 10 Olaf Bergenson

Chapter 11 Basking in Winter Sun

Chapter 12 A Visit With Olaf

Chapter 13 Fledgling Ski Team

Chapter 14 Sunset at Pass Yurt

Chapter 15 Classroom/Ski Team/Track Team

Chapter 16 Classic Antiques and Heritage

Chapter 17 Moonrise Morning at Pass Yurt

Chapter 18 Bigotry and Vandals

Chapter 19 Recovery and Growth

Chapter 20 Down to Cabin Creek

Chapter 21 Winning Coach Loses a Winner

Chapter 22 Farewell to a Friend

Chapter 23 Montana Western Comes Calling

Chapter 24 A Night With Friends at Cabin Creek

Chapter 25 End of a Regime

Chapter 26 A Ski Season Ends; Intolerance Remains

Chapter 27 The Legacies and The Changes

Chapter 28 Final Hut to Hut Night, Stormy Night, Quality Company

Chapter 29 Plans to Leave Elkhorn

More About the Author Mark Doherty

Chapter 1 Morning at Eagle Creek Yurt

A slender sliver of moon slowly emerged between two snowy ridges on the far eastern horizon and climbed gradually high enough to reveal the shadowy image of the its sphere..It was Jack's favorite moon phase..A deep sigh of contentment rose in a puff of steam from Jack's lips and dissipated quickly into the sub-zero winter air..He turned to greet Carol as she stepped from the door of the warm yurt carrying two cups of steaming coffee, boots squeaking on the dry cold snow.

Did you get out in time to watch it rise?.she asked.

Yep, just as the glow was starting to dim the starlight on the horizon..Worth getting up for!.Then he accepted the coffee from Carol, moved his head in an arc taking in the predawn starry sky and added, Clear and cold..It's going to be a perfect day for crossing the divide!

Carol took a sip of coffee, also taking in the stars and constellations, and added, I was hoping for a day like this..It might have been a bit tough navigating twenty-five kilometers above tree line in a snowstorm.

With a smile and a nod, Jack concurred..This was the second day of their three night, four day cross country ski tour through the Eagle's Nest Wilderness hut to hut tour..Day one had been a.downright blizzardy slog up the valley and in to the Eagle Creek Yurt..They groped their way from trail marker to trail marker barely discerning the route and grateful for the faint sign of the old road that lay far beneath the snow and equally dependent on the markers placed high on the trees..But now came the cold crisp clearing after the storm. Jack sensed that as they broke trail, gliding through the fresh cold white high country snow, it would be the perfect day for reflection..Furthermore, crossing the divide between the state's two main basins, the Eagle River drainage and the Cabin Creek drainage, seemed symbolic for the huge life changes he and Carol were about to undergo..This day was indeed a gift, in so many ways. As the first gray light of dawn began to show beneath the crescent moon, memories of a different storm, one of conflicts and trials at work, once again assaulted Jack's consciousness..They had weathered that storm as well, and now it was time to put those memories to rest.

Chapter 2 First Visit to Elkhorn High

Elkhorn High School was lucky enough to be built at the edge of.quaint Foothills, Montana, a large town snuggled up next to the brushy sage foothills that rose gradually into the deeply forested mountains and eventually into the alpine high wilderness peaks beyond..It was an edge-of-the-mountains town, but the town rested in a large, broad and mostly flat mountain valley..Some would call it a high elevation park..The valley was five miles across and twenty seven miles long, dotted with farms and ranches and two other smaller towns..Foothills.was a nice sized town, not yet big enough to be called a small city, boasting a population of seventy-five thousand people and an elevation of seven thousand feet above sea level..Part of the town's population was made up of the fifteen thousand or so students who attended Montana West University, so there were only two high schools in town..Elkorn High drew its students from town as well as from farms and ranches all over the valley..Grades 10-12 made up a population of nearly 2,000 students and around.150 faculty and staff members..

Jack's first visit to Foothills to see Elkhorn High and apply for an English teaching job there took place in February, during the winter before he was hired..He and Carol took advantage of a holiday weekend, loaded up some skis and snowshoes, booked a cabin at the edge of the national forest adjacent to the Eagle' Nest Wilderness, and drove up from Clarksford where Jack was finishing out his final year there at Silver Ridge High..Jack recalled that they took a few back road turns through town in order to get a better feel for the community, and he recalled their first view of the school from a road that ran along the foothills side of town..The road.was elevated slightly above the rest of town..As he approached the school, he observed the clean, fairly new modern construction of the school and it's surrounding playing fields and generously large football stadium..He also noticed how smooth everything looked, blanketed in February snow, perfectly flat and totally white.

Untracked,.Jack said to Carol, pointing to the large field and stadium..What a great place to put in a Nordic ski track!

Carol nodded, then pointed into the pastureland that rose gradually up from the school toward the foothills..It looks like somebody here likes Nordic skiing. A single set of cross country ski tracks ran in a gentle arc through the.pasture acreage extending beyond the school grounds and disappeared over a rise out into the foothills beyond.

Look, there they are again,.Jack pointed out as he saw the tracks reappear for a short stretch much further out into the hilly pasture.."That field looks like it's thirty or more acres..I'll bet someone could easily make a 10K ski track around it's perimeter."

I hear that Montana Western has a Nordic ski team, added Carol. I'll bet they train right on campus with this kind of snow..I do know that they set track and groom ski trails in several places up the highway toward the national forest..They probably train there too.

Jack looked over at her, grinning, I think we'd enjoy living here..We love to ski and snowshoe, and this seems like a perfect place for it.

Yes, so I hope they offer you a job..We're so much closer to Glacier here..It would be a lot easier for me working those two weeks each month if I could come home on the weekend between.

Jack nodded, then replied, The application posting mentioned coaching debate—again!.I guess I'll have to in order to land the job, but it really cuts into the winter ski weekends.

Well work it out, said Carol..

Jack indeed landed the job, debate and all, but it was Jack's love for skiing that would eventually have a huge impact on their years living in Foothills..It would also impact many people for years after they left as well.

Chapter 3 Breakfast & Departure From Yurt

Carol and Jack stood for a few moments in the frosty snowy silence of the morning, watching the first pink light catch the 13,000 foot Eagle's.Nest Wilderness summits surrounding them..The only sound was the occasional swishing of jacket arm or the squeak of very cold snow beneath their boots. The only other movement discernable was the steam rising from their breath and rising from their coffee cups..With a contented sigh, Jack turned in the squeaky snow and headed back to the yurt. It was his turn to make breakfast, and today they'd planned on pancakes..By the time he and Carol sprinkled nuts and poured maple syrup, the sun was cresting the horizon.

Yum, exclaimed Carol as she savored the pancakes..Even with pre-mixed batter, these smelled so good cooking, and they taste delicious..It was worth the extra weight to bring maple syrup!

Good calories for skiing as well,.said Jack as he slopped up another bite and devoured it..The yurts and cabins on this particular route were stocked with firewood and a small cast iron stove for heating and cooking, a few pots and pans, an assortment of spices, a few emergency canned goods,.several small solar lights for early evening light, and several thick, heavy blankets for