By Cindy Wentz | From BayLines Express, October, 2022
Cold and wind make me long for my bed – or at least my couch bundled up in an afghan. Flying, buzzing, biting critters give me the creeps. And I am not particularly interested in exercising to the point of heavy breathing and copious perspiration. Isn’t it more pleasant to curl up with a good book? Or loll on the beach? Or venture out to that new trendy restaurant? Yes, yes, and yes! At least that’s what I thought before I discovered New England Ski for Light (NESFL) and the joy of being active in nature.
NESFL is a way to experience outdoor recreation such as cross-country skiing, hiking, kayaking and more. But more about that later…
Maybe, like me, you are someone who has been blind or visually impaired since birth. And if you are ‘older’ like me, you think your opportunities for being active in the great outdoors are limited at best. Or maybe your vision took a nosedive in your adulthood leaving you to think that some of your prior outdoor interests are now no longer possible. Not necessarily so.
What exactly is New England Ski for Light? It’s an all-volunteer nonprofit organization that brings blind/visually impaired and sighted participants together to enjoy cross country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter and hiking, kayaking, tandem biking, and rock climbing in other seasons. Several weekend events are held in New Hampshire and Vermont with daylong events held in the Greater Boston area. ‘But I don’t drive!’ you say. This is not a problem as NESFL arranges rides whenever possible. Each blind or visually impaired participant is paired with a sighted guide to facilitate participation. It doesn’t matter whether you are a beginner or advanced athlete: all skill levels are welcome, and you can learn as you go. Guides must have experience in the recreational activity in which they are participating but need not have ever guided (or even met) a person who is blind. Guides and ‘VIPs’ (visually impaired participants) all pay the same amount to attend an event and financial aid is available upon request for both. NESFL (nesfl.org) is governed by a Board the majority of whom are blind or visually impaired.
Who came up with this “crazy” idea anyway?! NESFL is an outgrowth of Ski for Light (sfl.org). In 1975, Olaf Pedersen, a Norwegian who immigrated to the USA a decade earlier, started an annual weeklong event modeled after an event in Norway called the Ridderenn. He had crossed paths in the 1950’s with a blind Norwegian musician named Erling Stordahl. Mr. Stordahl fulfilled a dream when he started the Ridderrenn to teach blind Norwegians to ski and Olaf imported it to the US in 1975. Two years later, when the event was held in Woodstock Vermont, some New Englanders in attendance began NESFL. It is now one of several loosely affiliated organizations around the country and still has a close relationship with SFL. SFL’s annual event continues with well over 250 people in attendance. NESFL events typically draw 25-45 attendees.
The motto of SFL is “If I can do this, I can do anything.” Well, NESFL certainly widened my horizons as I took on activities that I’d never even thought about. How freeing it is to snowshoe, cross country ski or kayak under my own steam with just verbal direction from a guide! There’s such a sense of accomplishment at the end of a miles long hike, particularly if it involves a climb up a mountain and a scramble over rocks. The sounds, the smells, the textures of nature make for a rich and wondrous experience whether you can admire the view from the summit. Kayaking solo on a quiet lake just feeds my soul. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would love being one with nature, being one with my body. For too many years both served mainly as the vehicle for transporting my mind through life. NESFL enabled me to see that there is so much more to enjoy in life. And, yes, I even occasionally enjoy being out of breath and feeling the perspiration run down my back as I climb a never-ending hill on my snowshoes or with my hiking pole.
But there’s more. I have met so many amazing people through NESFL. I’ve met a carpenter, a doctor, a student, and retirees all on the same trip. I’ve shared a room with a Paralympian cross country skier, and I’ve shared a room with a professor at an Ivy League university. Once I even shared a room with a ferret and its person. There is an amazing sense of equality and camaraderie. I’ve made lifelong friends and have had deep conversations with folks whom I’ve encountered only once. I’ve laughed a lot. And smiled even more.
Even if you’ve never seen a cross country ski, you can take the plunge and register for one or all three of the NESFL weekend trips in January, February, and March. Or you can dip your toe in the water – I mean the snow – by attending a day trip at the Weston MA Ski Touring Center. Whichever you choose, watch out! You may find yourself marveling just as much as I did over thirty years ago at my first NESFL event. See you out in nature!