We are heading to Treetops in Gaylord, where my 16-year-old son and 39-year-old husband will take a snowboarding lesson, then see how it goes. My sister and I will hopefully just remember how to ski, and stay off the Black Diamonds that I used to barrel down as a teenager, when I had no business on those hills.

I recall a ski club trip in which my dad, Mike Cornelius, was chaperoning, and he told me specifically not to go on Black Diamonds, and definitely no mogul hills. So, what did I do? I broke away from where I thought he was, and gathered a friend or two to try out the nearest Black Diamond mogul hill. Well, in the middle of my “great idea” I failed to note the location of the ski lift, and how easy it would be to spot me from up there.

“DARBY!”

Yep, that was Dad’s voice. He was not happy. He was calling to me from the ski lift, and I was in the middle of a mogul hill, probably falling down.

Darby Hinkley

“TAKE YOUR SKIS OFF AND MEET ME AT THE LODGE!”

Uh-oh. How embarrassing. But, I knew he meant business, so off went my skis, and I sheepishly walked down the rest of the hill in my stiff ski boots, thus ending my fun for the day, because of a hairbrained decision to disobey my father.

Looking back, thank God I didn’t get hurt. That could have been much worse than an embarrassing moment.

Dad taught me, my older brother Clay, and my younger sister Kyla how to ski when I was about 8 years old, at Mt. Maria in Hubbard Lake. It was a blast! The wind on my face as I soared down the hill gave me a sense of freedom and excitement.

My grandparents, Maury and Iva Cornelius, planned and developed Mt. Maria, with the help of many others, including Pete Dean, Dick West, Carl Smith, Leroy Hall, Mike Caverly, and more. Mt. Maria Ski Lodge operated under the management of my grandfather from 1964 to 1980, then changed hands several times before changing to Timber Creek Resorts in 1990, but the ski operation shut down for good in 1991. For more detailed information about Mt. Maria history, see my late dad’s book, “Hubbard Lake Michigan: Past and Present, 1960-2012” (Vol. 3), available to check out at the Alpena County Library.

I recall learning the “snowplow” technique on the bunny hill at Mt. Maria. I’m sure the second I did that once, I thought I was ready for a giant mountain, but thankfully, my dad knew better. Parents have a way of knowing better, and now that I have a teenage son, I finally get it. I know I know better now, but I had to do my dumb stuff to learn for myself. (Sigh.) Parenting is not for sissies.

Anyway, I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to get back on skis. I did tear my ACL playing beach volleyball in the summer of 2019, and had to have surgery for that, but that was long ago at this point. No more excuses! I’m getting back out there on Saturday, and I’m going to have fun, darn it! (My main goal is no injuries for any of us, so if we accomplish that, then I’ll call it good.)

Now it’s my turn to lay down the rules for my teenager. No Black Diamonds, no moguls, and no injuries allowed. We’ll see how it goes!

Darby Hinkley will most likely be found on the bunny hill now that she’s older and wiser than her teenage self. Reach her at dhinkley@thealpenanews.com, or 989-358-5691.