On the Christian calendar, Advent and Christmas are different. They’re two consecutive seasons of the Christian year.
Christmastide, of course, celebrates the arrival of Emmanuel – God With Us – who came in the form of the Christ Child. It’s a celebratory season because of the hope that arrived with Jesus and remains with us today.
Advent, which began December 3 this year, is a season of expectancy and preparation for God’s arrival. This is a more-somber season when Christians are expected to contemplate their sinfulness, their needfor a savior.
Interestingly, an advent season of another sort also began in the Alleghenies this past weekend, specifically on Laurel Summit, the section of Forbes State Forest that runs along the spine of Laurel Hill to the southwest of US Route 30 above Jennerstown. It also is a season of expectancy and preparation.
Very soon now, snow will descend and signal the start of another winter recreation season. Laurel Summit is a destination for such activity, drawing tens of thousands of winter enthusiasts annually.
For the second season in its latest life, Laurel Mountain Ski Resort will be opening as soon as snowmakers can establish a decent base. Part of a state park since 1964, the resorthas had an on-and-off existence but once again is drawing skiers to the steepest slope in Pennsylvania.
Even during the years when Laurel Mountain was closed, cross-country skiers were flocking to Laurel Summit for its Nordic trails. More than a dozen trails are maintained here and attract an interesting mix of skiers, snowshoers, dog-walkers and mountain bikers.
The Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail draws hikers. Then there are the snowmobilers and mushers (dogsledders), who run local roads and a different network of designated trails.
On many winter weekends thousands of recreationists can be found, scattered across the mountaintop.Sometimes, though, amid all the fun, bad things happen.
So members of several related groups gather at the beginning of December each year topreparefor the winter season. While there’s a good bit of gaiety within these groups, there’s also a significant amount of serious work done to get ready for the season ahead.
Members of the Laurel Mountain Alpine Ski Patrol train on how to treat injuries on the slopes and extractskiers from stalled chair lifts. Laurel Summit Nordic Ski Patrollers train on first-aid and how to organize search-and-rescue operations. (Both sets of patrollers train year-round.)
The Ski Patrols are backed up by Mountain Hosts, who don’t have the same level of training but can assist and also provide valuable information to trail users while out and about. Ski Patrol volunteers, who have minimal training, staff the Laurel Summit Warming Hut, providing warmth and refreshment for recreationists while freeing the Ski Patrollers to patrol.
Then there are the staff members and volunteers of DCNR’s Forbes State Forest District Office and the volunteers of the Pennsylvania CrossCountry Skiers Association, who maintain trails and facilities.
Many of these people gathered this Saturday at the Laurel Summit Warming Hut to launch their advent season in anticipation of the snow season. Even if you missed the event, you are invited to join them, to learn more about what they do and consider whether to join their ranks in one capacity or another.
Underscoring the seriousness of their preparation was aSaturday afternoon program titled “Stop the Bleed,” which teaches bystanders how to help in a bleeding emergency before professionals arrive. The Ski Patrol expects to offer the program again in January.
Sadly, we are living in a time when such training is becoming necessary for all of us, whether we spend our time on the mountain, in stores, schools or churches.
In all certainty, this is a time when we should take our advent seasons seriously.
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For more information on winter volunteering, email: .