THOMPSONVILLE -- The sun shone brightly and the aroma of chocolate wafted through the crisp air as Ali Campbell and Desiree Akierman stooped near a bonfire to strap on snowshoes.
Campbell, of Traverse City, and Akierman, of Grand Rapids, were among the first of more than 500 women to brave single-digit temperatures Sunday to attend the 12th annual Women's Winter Tour at Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville. The pair donned sequin-covered tops, sparkled capes and Campbell wore a tiara with a pink, fuzzy headband.
"We're superheroes," Campbell said.
"It's all about girl power," Akierman said.
The cross-country skiing and snowshoeing event is a celebration of community, charity, chocolate and womanhood, with proceeds to benefit the Women's Resource Center for the Grand Traverse area and Active Women Now, a nonprofit organization that puts on tours and other events to support local women's charities.
This year's theme was "Wonder Women," and featured dozens of women dressed in superhero and other flamboyant costumes as they darted down the trail.
Among them were Alicia Whitman and Connie Huffman, of Spring Lake, and Sonja Lipovski, of Harrison. They each wore a Wonder Woman-style yellow headband with a red star.
"It's kind of our girls' weekend away," Huffman said.
"It's all about the camaraderie," Lipovski said.
Others got into the spirit, too.
Pat Kjolhede, of Belding, and her daughter, Jamie Jones, of Davisburg, each wore a pink headband with purple, green and yellow pigtails jutting into the air.
"She's done this before and this year we decided to do something crazy each month. This month, this is it," Jones said.
The mother-daughter duo stood inside a large tent and watched for images of themselves on a photograph slide show from Saturday's Snowshoe d' Art event. They also deliberated on whether to tackle the three-, five- or ten-kilometer skiing loop.
"I look forward to it every year because it does benefit the women's shelter," Kjolhede said.
Dana Hoffman, of Traverse City, and her friend Kara Wood, of Grand Rapids, participated as a way to help other women and spend time together doing something healthy.
"It's very cold, but it's beautiful. It's good to be with other women and it's for a good cause," Hoffman said.
Kaye Krapohl, event founder and avid cross-country skier, said she first envisioned the Women's Winter Tour as a way to draw more women into the sport in a non-competitive, non-threatening way.
"If you can get women out cross-country skiing, it can be for women of all shapes and sizes and ages. Your skis only care if you're smiling," Krapohl said.
The tour initially was named the Madeleine Thomas Memorial Women's Ski Tour after a late attorney who was well-known in the community. The tour has raised about $100,000 through the years for local charities such as Madeleine's House and Zonta House, both operated by the Women's Resource Center.
For more information about the annual event, visit www.womenswintertour.com.
