Private Thoughts Talk about solitude. I’m suspended 40 feet off the ground. Although the pitch of the ski slope below me makes it feel like I’m hanging much higher. I’m sitting alone on one of the few two-person chair lifts at Breck and we are stopped. Not uncommon. Looking off to my left I’m witnessing the snow blowing hundreds of feet into the air as the wind whips up the back side of the peak. The sunlight glimmers in the dry powder creating an amazing optical show. How small I am compared to this wilderness. While skiing isn’t exactly the best way to find solitude, I find that I get plenty of moments, like this one, to reflect inward and contemplate where I am in life and where I need to be. Skiing is one of those activities that helps feed my soul and supplies me with inspiration the get me through the winter and into warmer months where I will hike and fish. Skiing keeps me sane.