The sky was crystal clear and blue over Mount Spokane outside of Fairchild Air Force Base last Saturday. It was also very cold.

"I'm excited to be out here today and learning more about winter survival," said Pfc. Kristina Steele, A Company, 341st Military Intelligence (MI) Battalion, Washington Army National Guard, as she put on a pair of cross-country skis. "And it's cold up here."

Headquartered at the Armed Forces Reserve Center at Fairchild Air Force Base, the 341st MI provides trained linguists and intelligence analysts capable of worldwide deployment. Every one of the battalion's Soldiers speaks at least one - and in some cases more than one - foreign language.

"I've got Soldiers who are constantly volunteering to deploy; their skills - and patriotism - are that good," said Capt. Phil Fassieux, the unit's commander. "We are also ready to respond to natural or man-made disasters here in the state."

Being prepared also means being able to move and survive in cold, austere environments. "This is an opportunity for us to gain some additional training," said Staff Sgt. Doane Mardis as he stepped into a pair of cross-country skis. "We can be sent anywhere in the world on a moment's notice, so I welcome this kind of training."

The day's agenda included shelter building, fire craft, first aid, food preparation and winter equipment familiarization. "One of the skills to be learned will be how to make a pair of field sunglasses," said Fassieux. "You'd be surprised what you can do with the tough plastic package a MRE comes in."

He explained how Soldiers cut the package open, cut slits in it for their eyes and a notch for their noses. "The key is to cut down on the amount of reflection off the snow and the amount of ultraviolet rays striking the eyes," Fassieux said.

Getting on the skis, though, proved to be a challenge for some of the Guardsmen. "I've never done this before," said Sgt. Cassandra Giudice as she put on a special pair of boots and stepped into a pair of skis. "But no matter the outcome, this will be a great learning experience, though," she said as she slowly headed down a ski track, "and I'll be the better for it."