FOURTH OF JULY PASS - To Skip Truscott, cross country skiing is freeing.

It's a feeling that stays with him long after he falls asleep.

"I love the motion of cross country skiing," Truscott said Saturday morning as he walked along a groomed trail at the Fourth of July Recreation Area, surrounded by dark green pine boughs heavy with snow.

"Have you ever had sailing dreams, or flying dreams?" he asked. "So often, after the end of cross country skiing, or diagonal, I've had flying dreams. It's interesting."

Truscott, of Coeur d'Alene, is one of the founding members of the Panhandle Nordic Cross Country Ski and Snowshoe Club, which welcomes those who like to hike, bike, paddle, ski, snowshoe and enjoy the wonders of North Idaho's natural beauty.

Saturday marked the club's 24th annual "Best Hand Fun Ski and Snowshoe" event, where more than 60 people registered to enjoy a roughly 5-mile jaunt through the trail system, what club members call "the loop." The club works with the U.S. Forest Service to maintain the trails, warming huts, picnic shelter and other amenities along the way.

"They're big-time players in this, and the State of Idaho," Truscott said. "The three of us work together."

The Best Hand was held in conjunction with Idaho's Free Ski Day, an event offered by the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation to allow people the opportunity to play in the Gem State's snowy parks at no cost.

"You just can't stay inside in the beautiful winter," said Jackie Beery of Coeur d'Alene. Beery has been a member of the Panhandle Nordic Club since the early 1990s. She smiled as she shared her thoughts.

"Outdoor people are just fun to be with," she said.

The ski and snowshoe event is called the "Best Hand" because participants collect playing cards from volunteers at all of the stations around the loop. When they return to the first warming hut along the trail (the Panhandle Hut), they compare to see who has the best poker-type, five-card hands - straights, three-of-a-kinds, etc. The top prizes this year included a gourmet dinner for six people, a Priest Lake overnight trip, gift baskets, gift certificates and more. The day also serves as the club's annual fundraiser and welcomes club members, nonmembers, youths and families for suggested donations. However, during Free Ski Day, a Park 'n' Ski sticker (which costs $25) is not necessary to park at the Fourth of July Ski area.

"It's just a nice way of getting people out here and learning more about the club," said club president Jim McMillen of Coeur d'Alene. "We have many people coming here to ski and snowshoe, but I don't think they really understand that it's really because of the club that this area is used. It's people having fun, spreading word about the club and trying to get some new members."

Truscott said the club began 30 years ago with only five members who somewhat began a social skiing revolution.

"It was hard because most skiers back then were solitary," he said, lightly chuckling. "They'd (think), 'Why do people want to ski with other people?'"

Nowadays, the club organizes several events through the year and members maintain happy camaraderies. A few club volunteers who worked the registration table in the first warming hut joked and grinned as they greeted the familiar faces of friends stepping in the door, friends with rosy noses, pink cheeks and reciprocating smiles.

"It is like a big family," said Janice Purdy of Coeur d'Alene. "It's just a fun way to have somebody to go ski with. Sometimes you might want to go skiing and your friends might not want to go, so you always know that there's a group that you can go skiing with."

Purdy has been a member of the club for eight years, but she has participated in the Best Hand event for as long as it has been happening. One area along the loop has been dubbed "Peaceful View," and she explained just why visitors might describe the area as serene.

"It's just like heaven," she said. "You're out in the fresh air, the trees are covered with snow, it's absolutely beautiful. You just feel like you're doing something good for yourself, and it's wonderful just being out in the winter. Sometimes you get so closed up in the winter, so that's why it's so wonderful to be a skier or snowshoer or whatever, to be out to enjoy the fresh air and the scenery."

Info: www.panhandlenordicclub.com