When we first took over as owners of Stokely Creek, our granddaughter Eva was five years old and had been coming here soon after she was born. She was thrilled to ski in her first race that year, and I hope you'll forgive a proud grandmother for bragging that she easily won the five-and-under race.
Okay, she was the only competitor in her division, but still ... what could we do but name a trail after her?
I am surprised at how many people, when I ask them what their favorite place at Stokely is, mention Eva's Way first. As anyone who has skied it knows, it's not the fastest way to get to the Peterson Trail system, or to Walker and Evans Lakes. But it is definitely the prettiest, winding along Stokely Creek and through a particularly beautiful bit of forest. And when I ski it, of course, I always think of Eva -- as she was at five, and as she is today, a 21-year-old college gymnast studying Marine Biology.
A big reason we decided to purchase Stokely was our grandchildren, Eva and her brother Bastian (better known as Bas) and Coralina (Cora) and her brother Johannes (Hannes). They have all continued to come most years since then, and this year Hannes organized an outing to "ski the cousins," taking in Eva's Way, Bas's Bypass, Cora's Crossing and Hannes's Trail.
Future blog posts will explore the other "cousins" whose trails we all love to ski, but for today, meet EVA!
