Don’t lose hope dear internetting ones, we still have every intention of launching the full Outsider’s Almanac website in the near future, it just won’t be quite as soon as we had hoped. We’re pretty insanely busy these days, between writing projects, client needs, body/mind/spirit rehabbing and the pursuit of winter in it’s many splendered and distracting forms, but you should expect to see the site live by around April 1st, 2010.

We’ve got our sites on making Outsider’s Almanac the most exhaustive and user friendly site for all Outsider activities by combining tutorials with expert articles, videos, web based and mobile communication apps, up-to-the-minute live and critical information on sites and conditions, gear reviews, site reviews, events, and so much more.

Like you, we love the Outside, it’s beautiful out here, and boy is it easy to get distracted. We wouldn’t want it any other way.

Matty and I are heading out early in the morning for our first XC ski outting of the season. It’s supposed to be fairly cold tomorrow so we’re trying to find an alternative to the lake front which can be downright vicious on a good day.

We’ve done Herrick Lake in the past, but for the love of Pete there is something seriously creepy about the tangible air of puckered butt around there. It’s not like cross country skiing attracts the best and brightest of the laid back set as it is, in fact it seems to attract the terminally white like serial killers and sedans. But these friggin’ maniacs out in the Western suburbs take that wound up waspiness into new olympian fields. Bump that.

Bemis we’ve been to, also. That’s much nicer than Herrick and has a little spot you can duck into and make out with your sweetheart or play quarters or smoke crack or whatever teenage kids do these days.

But I’m sure there’s more, and better, spots. So I scrubbed this list from this real handy list of Cook County trail maps. Click on the links below to view maps.

Arie Crown Ski Trails map (85KB)

[The] trail located in the Arie Crown Forest [...] is especially suited to the beginner and the intermediate skier. The majority of the trail is wooded, with gentle sloping to flat terrain. For access to the Arie Crown Cross Country Ski Trail, you may use the Sundown Meadow parking lot located on the West Side of Mannheim Road (Route 45) North of 67th Street. Lake Ida, located north of the Sundown Meadow parking lot is open for Ice Skating as soon as safe ice conditions exist.

Bemis Woods Ski Trails map (56KB)

The gently rolling terrain at Bemis Woods offers excellent skiing for beginners and advanced skiers alike.

For the non-skiers Bemis Woods also offers sledding, coasting and tobogganing.

Bemis Woods is located on the North side of Ogden Avenue — West of Wolf Road.

Beverly Lake Area Ski Trails map (32KB)

These trails begin at Beverly Lake and travel north. The terrain is hilly and suitable for intermediate skiers. The trails pass through mature oak forests and open savannas with superb vistas.

The Beverly Lake area is located on Higgins Road about one mile west of Sutton Road (Illinois Route 59).

Camp Sagawau Area Ski Trails map (109KB)

A complete Nordic Ski Program, including lessons for all ability levels, nature ski tours, school group programs, and ski rentals is available at Camp Sagawau. The Camp is open when snow conditions are adequate. Call 257-2045 for a complete ski program brochure.

The trails traverse a scenic area of forest and prairie. The Sag Trail is gentle and well suited to the beginner while the Ridge Run is more rolling, appropriate to intermediate or advanced level skiers. Ski information and a warmup area is available.

The trails are groomed and tracked as snow conditions warrant. Skiers must obtain a free trail pass in the Farmhouse before skiing.

Camp Sagawau is on Route 83 east of Archer Avenue or four miles west of the Swallow Cliff Winter Sports Area.

Deer Grove Ski Trails map (141KB)

The mature oak and maple forests and hilly terrain at Deer Grove offers excellent skiing and the wooded areas provide protection from the severe winds on cold days.

For the non-skiers Deer Grove also offers sledding, ice skating, coasting, tubing and toboggan slides. Deer Grove is located on the west side of Quentin Road just north of Dundee Road.

Swallow Cliff Ski Trails map (106KB)

The rolling terrain of the Swallow Cliff area offers excellent skiing for beginners and advanced skiers alike.

Swallow Cliff provides a warming shelter and heated rest rooms. This area is located near the intersection of Illinois Route 83 and U.S. Highway 45, just west of Palos Park.

Chicago’s temperature index is staying comfortably below freezing now, in fact, most days this week we were below zero with windchill. I haven’t yet committed to the adjustment for riding my bike to work in the mornings, but I think I’ll start with that again next week. My plan for that is to basically dress like I’m going snowboarding – pants, first layers, gloves, coat, helmet and goggles – but tape up my pants. I’ll be sure to include my gator as well as that early morning air can sting to hell when we get down in the single and double digits.

But biking winter is a peripheral joy for me, one that I take and leave based on need more than pleasure. I much prefer to stick with seasonal activities requiring gear that is elegantly prepped for the conditions, not simply coerced into function. And, to my mind, there’s no low buy-in winter activity in the midwest quite as enjoyable as cross country skiing.

I fought XC skiing for years, assuming it was as dull as the people I knew who did it. I could never figure out where the enjoyment came from and was always trying to figure out where they were hiding the hill. But something switched in my aging brain last year and I decided to try it again as I wrestled to discover more ways I could interact with winter and snow beyond snowboarding. Much to my surprise I fell in love with cross country skiing. There’s a low learning curve, it’s totally accessible and it gives me a new reason to find desolate paths in and outside the Chicago area. It offers me the kind of satisfied solitude I have found myself longing for more and more as I get older.

Fortunately, my XC skis don’t require waxing. They’ve got fish scales on them and require almost zero maintenance. Matt, on the other hand, picked up a real nice pair of XC Skis on the cheap from Craigs list last year, nice enough that they require a steady waxing. We’re getting together tomorrow to prep his skis for the weekend, so here’s a video to help get my brain running around this process properly again.