Cross-country Ski - Windy Pass/ Common Corridor

We parked at Hyak SnoPark, and headed out less than 1 mile, to the blue diamond marked Common Corridor connector.  One can find this is the trees just before the causeway that crosses over Cold Creek.  This short stretch requires some herringbone and side stepping skills, but quickly brings one to the groomed Cold Creek trail, just next to the Common Corridor sign.  From there, we headed up the Cold Creek trail, stopping at the warming hut.  Please note this is located BELOW the switchbacks in the road, not as shown on the printed map from the ski area.  Snow conditions got better and better as we climbed in elevation.  We topped out at Nordic Pass, enjoying lunch and bit more skiing, before heading back down the trail.  Sun made the snow conditions softer, and therefore the skiing slower in many places.  The short connector trail again required side stepping, but we all made it downhill intact.  Then, it was only a short bit of flat John Wayne trail skiing back to the car.