Reynolds said she didn't have as much time to reflect on her family's dealings with PKU as she had hoped, as her surroundings while skiing commanded constant attention.

For two nights, because of the heavy snow and high winds, they stayed in a cabin that had no heat. After one of her jackets blew away in the first few days, she used a special jacket she brought along - the same one her mother wore when she skied to the North Pole 20 years earlier.

"My lowest points were early on," Reynolds said. "I thought the weather was going to make it not doable. But I knew we had to get through it."

Reynolds and her guide skied as many miles as they had planned but sometimes at a slower rate because of the weather, leaving no days for rest.

The two chatted while skiing or in the tent about food, American culture and politics, and the warm places Reynolds wanted to visit after leaving Norway. Tia was among her family members and friends who met her as the trek ended. Reynolds said her daughter became emotional as her mother crossed the finish line.

There are no cold-weather trips in her future, Reynolds said. She plans to focus on her family and visit someplace warm with them in the spring.