December had arrived in the mountains, and it was time to head to the Pass for the annual candidate/make-up refresher. I met Dan around 7:00 am, and instead of loading snow gear into the truck, we loaded saws instead, hoping for a little time in the afternoon to work on clearing a few saplings on the runs. We made the drive up highway 58 without incident, and soon found ourselves at the Pass ready for the day’s activities.
Early morning at the Pass
Since there was some wind forecast for the afternoon, we decided to move up the chairlift evacuation as the first order of business for the day. I ran through the evac plan with the candidates, and then we headed over to Sleepy to to practice. After explaining how to belay, lower, communicate, etc., we got to it. I did manage to snap a few pictures of the veterans who were there for the day as a make-up, including John, Stefan and Chris below…
Stefan lowering John on SleepyJohn lowers Chris while Stefan communicates
Next up was a talk about the avalanche gear and the routes we run on the hill, followed by me organizing some of the lift evacuation equipment for deployment on the hill. Then, the rest of the group went on an area tour, while Dan and I had a quick lunch and then started off up the hill with the saws for the afternoon. After clearing our activities with the owner, we headed up to the top of Twilight to check on whether we wanted to start at the bottom of RTS, but ultimately elected to head up top.
Looking down Duck
The drive up the road, through Tait’s and onto Boundary went smootly, and there was just a little residual snow left in the area. The area was looking really good, although it looked more like early October than December. Nevertheless, we made our way up top, where Tim was doing some work on the EPA top shack.
Heading up BoundaryAt the top of EPA
After giving Tim a hand moving some concrete blocks, we donned chaps and safety gear, and headed over to the top of RTS to continue the work we started a few weeks prior. We cut for a couple of hours, making good progress on the hemlocks and grand firs that were surprisingly much bigger than the past year. Even with all the cutting we’ve done on RTS over the years, it seems like there is always plenty more to do each year.
Dan ready for some actionWorking on a small sapling
After a couple of hours we’d had enough fun, and decided it was time to head down and get off the hill before dark and time to get some food. Looking back to the south, I snapped a photo of Dan with Diamond in the background, while he took a picture of me looking west…
Dan and DiamondMatt and RTS
We worked our way back up to the top and loaded our gear back in the truck. I pulled out my beer of choice for the day, a really tasty Squeezy Rider IPA from Deschutes Brewery. Instead of drinking it up top, I decided to enjoy it down at Gold Lake with the brats we were planning to grill, so back in my cooler it went.
Squeezy Rider IPA from Deschutes
On the way down, we decided to take a look down Escalator and over to Northern to see if there was any snow at all left on the runs. Escalator was looking pretty poor, but there were actually a few small skiable patches on Northern. As Dan joked, “we should have brought the skis.”
The view down Escalator
On the way down, we stopped at the big corner and cut a tree down that was right in the middle of the run that we’d identified on the way up. With Dan’s electric chainsaw, it’s super simple to make a quick cut, and then we were on our way.
Dan near the big cornerA quick stop to remove a tree from the middle of the run
From KP, we headed down to the base, and then after locking up, headed down to Gold Lake snowpark for some dinner. We had the brats on the grill, and were enjoying our beers, when Bill pulled up from down the road. We had a good chat with him, opined on whether or not we were going to get any snow this season and be able to get open, and talked about the challenges of hiring lift ops this season.
Grillin’ at Gold Lake
A few minutes later, Bill and his wife headed down the road, and our brats were done. We scarfed them down, finished off the rest of our beers, and headed down the road ourselves. As we turned out onto the highway, both Dan and I agreed we were probably done cutting for the year. The only question remaining was, how much would it snow and would we be able to capitalize on any of our efforts this winter? Only time will tell….
Since it looked like winter was going to be making a fashionably late arrival this year, Dan and I made plans to get our December turns in early and steal a summer day out of season. After waffling back and forth between Mt Hood and Mt Bachelor, we settled on Bachelor. We early at Dan’s, piled gear into my Subaru, and headed up the highway. Although it was a bit sad there wasn’t any snow as we passed Willamette, it was nice to be able to take the Cascade Lakes Highway and the Sunriver cutoff to knock a few miles off the drive. Soon, we found ourselves getting a good look at the mountain, and there wasn’t much snow for December, but it looked like we’d be able to find some turns.
Bachelor in the morning lightParked along Cascade Lakes Hwy
We found a parking spot along the highway, changed into ski boots, shouldered packs, and headed out. Happily, we were able to skin from a few feet of the base on 2-3 inches of snow, and we worked our way up Avalanche run towards mid-mountain. It really was quite a sight seeing the mountain with so little snow, and it felt like June, although the snowpack was thinner.
The view from AvalancheDan at mid-mountain
It didn’t take long to reach the bottom of the summit lift, and we had to take the skis off to cross a few bare spots before resuming skinning. We decided to head up the cat road to the east for a little while, rather than skin up under the lift due to the lack of snow. Before long, we were able to work our way up one of the gullies and then up to a main ridge that afforded us access towards the top.
Dan & TumaloNearing the top
As we skinned the last bit towards the top of the Summit lift, the wind picked up appreciably, so we found a spot out of it near the ski patrol area and enjoyed some food with a view in the sun. We weren’t sure whether to try Cow’s Face or the Cirque Bowl, but after I took a quick jaunt over to Cow’s to check it out we decided it looked to be our best bet, being out of the wind.
Enjoying a break out of the windHiking to the top of Cow’s Face
After refueling with a quick bite, we headed over to Cow’s with our gear and enjoyed the view out of the wind. It was also time to get our beers on ice, before enjoying them a few minutes later prior to dropping in. My beer of choice was a tasty Dark Matter chocolate porter from Block 15 Brewing Company.
A tasty porter from Block 15 BrewingMatt up top
After soaking up the views and about half of our beers, it was time to drop in for some December corn. I headed down first, and made some really fun turns down to a suitable spot to shoot a few shots of Dan coming down.
Dropping in off the topCutting a December turn on Cow’s Face
Although there was the least amount of snow on Cow’s that we’d ever made turns on, the quality was pretty nice. We threaded our way through a thin section, slipped between a choke point with a couple of rocks, and then continued on down.
Dan making careful turns through a thin spot
After working our way through the choke point, Dan grabbed the camera and skied down a ways, then motioned me to come down. I opened it up a bit in the perfect corn, and carved some fun turns down to Dan and then on past…
Enjoying a December turn on Cow’s FaceMatt working on down
We skied down a ways further, and I shot a few more pics of Dan. About 800 feet or so from the top, we decided to call it. It looked like we could have skied down a few hundred feet further, but it involved a couple of carries and we wanted to get back up top before the sun set completely on the north side in order to harvest the waiting corn.
Dan cranking some more turnsMilking the lower slopes of the Cow
The boot back up the slope was enjoyable in the afternoon sun. In many ways, it felt like we were climbing in June or July, while the snowpack suggested we might be climbing in early October. We admired our turns as we climbed back up, and soon found ourselves back up top at our waiting beers.
Headed back upLooking back at Dan and our turns
We sat around up top for a few minutes enjoying the second half of our beers, but we didn’t wait too long because the sun crept behind the mountain and our line down was now in the shade. Not to worry, we shoved off in time to harvest some really nice corn before it refroze for the afternoon.
Heading down the northsideSkiing down a fine line on Bachelor’s northside
We retraced our skin track back down, and found the snow to be in really good condition. The corn was nearly perfect, and both of us were pretty happy as we ripped big turns down the slope.
More turnsDan ripping
We worked our way down the slope, and eventually found one of the gullies that held snow to work a continuous line down towards the cat road below. Along the way, we took turns shooting each other with the camera, firing off several shots, including the one below.
Skiing down Bachelor on a fine December dayMatt getting some of the action
We were able to thread a continuous line all the way back down to the cat road, and then with a really short carry, we worked our way back down to mid-mountain and the bottom of the summit lift.
Working down through the patchy snow
At mid-mountain, we paused for a moment to enjoy the view out to the sisters and Broken Top. The lack of snow on these peaks for the 1st of December was stunning, but with a little luck, they’ll be coated in feet of snow before too long and hopefully several more all winter long in La ‘Nina can deliver.
Pausing at mid-mountain
After a short carry across the snowless section at mid-mountain, we strapped back in headed on down. Dan had sniffed out a line earlier that looked like it would ski through the trees better than what we’d skinned up. We decided to hit it on the way down, and it turned out to be a great decision; the snow was really nice and we didn’t hit a rock!
Looking back up the hillDan working our line through the trees
We ended up having to cross back over to Avalanche on foot near the bottom, but soon were turning again, albeit slowly, back towards the bottom. The skiing in this section was marginal at best, but at least we were sliding. In the end, we were able to slide to within a few vertical feet of the parking lot on only a couple inches of snow. Maybe not the brightest idea in the world, but as I told Dan, given the snow conditions, sliding the entire vertical from the summit to the parking lot on this day may have been one of our best works of art yet.
“Skiing” near the baseAt the end of the snow
From the base, we made the short hike back to the car, loaded our gear, and headed down to Edison Butte Snowpark to enjoy some apres’ activities, including cooking up some tasty brats. The weather in the parking lot was perfect, and as an added bonus, we could see the top part of the mountain where we’d made turns an hour or so earlier. While the brats were cooking, we enjoyed a beer, and my second choice for the day was a Backside IPA from Oblivion Brewing Company that really hit the spot. I’d bought it a few months earlier in the summer while vacationing in Sunriver with the family, and it seemed fitting to drink it near it’s point of origin.
Backside IPA from Oblivion
It didn’t take long, and the brats were ready to go. All that was needed was a few onions and some mustard, along with a piece of bread. As usual, they hit the spot after a day of climbing and riding and we wolfed them down. All that was left to do after that was to hit the road.
Brats and beers at Edison Butte Snowpark
All things considered, even though we’d have rather been sitting in the snowpark shivering after skiing a foot of pow on a good base, it did feel nice to “steal” a day of summer turns on the 1st of December. Nevertheless, it’s now beyond time for winter to arrive, and I hope it does so in a hurry. Until then, here’s a parting shot from the day.
Wednesday looked to be the day, and it looked to be the last good day in quite a few, so I made plans to hit up Mt Hood with Jack, who was visiting from Montana, as well as Joe. For the three of us, this would be our second year in a row to head to Mt Hood for late fall turns, and it definitely didn’t disappoint. We met at the cop shop in Albany at 5:30, and headed up I-5, pulling into the climber’s lot around 7:30. To nobody’s surprise, there were three or four groups of folks already there with similar plans.
Hood from the climber’s lot
We wasted little time getting our gear ready to go, and hit the skin track by 7:50 am. Getting an earlier start would prove to work to our advantage later in the day. The mountain was looking really beautiful in the morning light, and I had to stop a few times to shoot a few pictures of it, as well as Joe and Jack heading up the skin track.
Hood from the skin trackHeading up the skin track
We followed a few other skiers, and worked our way up the road and eventually to Silcox, where we took a few minutes to get a quick snack and a drink of water. From Silcox, the mountain was looking mighty pretty, and we enjoyed the view up the hill as well as to the south towards Mt Jefferson and the Three Sisters.
At Silcox
After our quick break, we headed on up towards the Palmer. The mountain was looking quite a bit different than our trip up a few days earlier, and we skinned past some interesting wind sculpted features on our way towards the top of the Palmer.
Jack heading up the PalmerHeading up the Palmer
We made good time to the top of the Palmer, arriving about an hour and 55 minutes after we left the parking lot. After our quick break, we headed on up. While departing from the top of the Palmer, I ran into Dave Watson, and chatted with him briefly about his thoughts on the day. We both agreed that the upper mountain was looking pretty good, and might really provide some fun turns. The skinning was pretty nice above the Palmer, with the occasional icy patch. We worked our way up, eventually getting to the point on the ridge where Dan, Joe and I had skied from a couple months earlier on the 1st of October.
Skinning up towards the White River HeadwallAbove the White River Canyon
Once we reached the traverse below Crater Rock, we had to remove our skis briefly, but soon had them back on our feet and were able to continue skinning. When we got to the Devil’s Kitchen, I was pretty surprised to see how melted down the snow in the Crater was since the last time I had been up a few years ago. We stopped to snap a few pictures, and then skinned up to the Hogsback.
At Devil’s KitchenJack climbing the Hogsback ridge
From the saddle on the Hogsback, we decided it was worth heading up on foot. The climbing was really tedious, and we were wallowing through waist deep powder on the steep pitch. It was made even worse by the fact that the “climbers trail” was just one set of tracks, which turned out to be a down track made by a really light woman from earlier in the morning. The one thing that made it worthwhile however was looking up at the upper mountain and seeing it so beautifully enshrouded in rime ice. After struggling half the way to the bergschrund, I stepped aside and let Joe break trail the rest of the way, and he booted up like a champ…
Joe nearing the bergschrundMatt arriving at the bergschrund
We contemplated heading on up further, but an icy section caused us to reconsider that notion, especially since we’d elected to leave the ice tools in the car. Oh well, skiing from 10,730 feet wouldn’t be too bad:) My first order of business, besides ensuring we didn’t fall into the bergschrund, was to get my beer on ice and enjoy the views, which were incredible as usual from high up on the mountain. My beer of choice for the day was an excellent Hugs and Flip Flops Hazy IPA from Sunriver Brewing Company. This beer is seriously in contention from my perspective for one of the better hazy IPA’s around.
Jack arriving at the bergschrundHugs & Flip Flops from Sunriver Brewing
We sat around for a half hour or so, enjoying our beers, enjoying the views, and taking in the experience of enjoying the tranquility of hanging out high on Mt Hood in the perfect weather. We snapped a few pictures as well, including the two below…
Repping the Amplid Milligram on Mt HoodJoe and Jack at our high point
Our friend Dave, who we met at the top of the Palmer and also talked with on the Hogsback, was continuing his push up the mountain, and after wallowing in deep snow had switched back to skins. I snapped a few photos of him as he continued his ascent, and then it was time for us to click into our bindings and head down for what we’d come for. Our plan was to ski the inside of the crater on skier’s right, so I headed down first along the ridge, and then set up to snap some photos of the skiers as they came down. The turns definitely did not disappoint!
Dave Watson heading up towards the Old ChuteJack enjoying a November pow turn on Mt Hood
Jack came down first, and ripped the fresh powder down to me, continuing on down to the Hogsback saddle below. Joe was next, and he also ripped up the fresh snow. I fired off a few photos, and then rode down to them to regroup.
Getting some pow turns high on Mt HoodJoe coming down from the bergschrund
At the saddle, Joe was game to take the camera and shoot a few photos of me skiing down from the end of the saddle. Before any turns could be made, I had to hike through the nearly waist deep snow to get there. It didn’t take long however, and soon I was standing at the end of the saddle and ready to strap in.
Joe skiing down towards the saddleAt the end of the Hogsback ridge
After a few seconds to catch my breath, I strapped into my bindings, and proceeded to make turns down the steep slope to Devil’s Kitchen below. The turns were really nice, and as Joe captured photos of me I enjoyed pow turn after pow turn, with a few face shots thrown in for good measure…
Heading down from the HogsbackTurns above Devil’s Kitchen
Jack and Joe came down after me, milking the powder turns for all they were worth, and then we headed on down towards the White River Headwall. We thought about dropping in, and made a few turns past the rollover, but the light was getting flat and there were a few icy sections that helped us decide that a descent along our uptrack would probably be the prudent choice so we traversed over to the ridgeline…
Skiing down below Devil’s KitchenJoe ready to rollover the headwall
The clouds continued to move in and the light got even flatter, but the turns remained nice, and Jack and Joe ripped it up on our way down as I shot some more pictures…
Pausing for a quick breakHeading on down
The turns were many as we continued down, and I continued shooting pictures of the skiers as we worked down the slope, with Illumination Rock in the background….
Turns above Illumination RockEnjoying the wind sculpted fresh
We continued working our way down, and by the time we reached the top of the Palmer we all agreed to a quick break to rest our legs, which were starting to burn from cranking hundreds of turns on the slopes above.
November turns above the PalmerJoe skiing above the Palmer
At the top of the Palmer, there were several skiers milling about, and we found a quiet place over by the lift shack to sit down and get a quick snack and some water. While we were hanging out, a few ravens decided to investigate our area to see what was up, and provided me with an opportunity to snap a few pics, including the one below.
Our raven friend at the top of the Palmer
After refueling and giving our legs a break, we stepped back into our bindings and shoved off, finding some fun turns on skiers left of the Palmer. Joe grabbed the camera and snapped a few photos of Jack and I coming down, including the shots below…
Carving some November turns on the PalmerJack getting some Palmer turns
The snow skied quite nicely, and we continued to hug skiers left on the way down, before eventually working our way back over towards Silcox. Once we got over towards the Mile Canyon proper, it was apparent that quite a few folks had already laid their turns down earlier in the day, but the skiing still remained nice.
Heading down the PalmerDown below Silcox
We worked our way down skiers left of the canyon, and enjoyed the turns right back down to the car, skiing right to the climber’s lot. It sure was pretty nice to be able to ski mostly where we wanted to on the lower mountain without fear of hitting a rock or other obstacle. Once back at the car, the first order of business was to get out of the ski boots and get a few of Jack’s Cold Smoke’s on the snow. The next task was to fire up the grill and start cooking the meat, and before long, we were enjoying some tasty cold brews and hot brats.
Beers and brats post turns
After a bit of chat with the folks parked near us, as well as Dave who we saw strolling back through the climbers lot after skiing from 11,000 feet, the brats were gone and our beers were finished and it was time to hit the road. The three of us agreed that this was probably one of the best November ski days on Mt Hood any of us had seen in recent memory, and it was definitely a great way to start off the ski year. Until next time, here’s a few parting shots from the day….
Jack ripping the pow high on Mt HoodJoe cranking turns above the Hogsback
After missing out on a few opportunities to get November turns in earlier in the month due to work and ski patrol obligations, I was game to head to Hood even though the forecast wasn’t looking real nice. Dan and I mulled it over early in the morning, and even thought the mountain was shrouded in a whiteout and Joe text us from the parking lot that it probably wasn’t worth coming up, we decided to take the gamble. After dropping my son off at school a few minutes before 8:00 am, I met Dan in Coburg, and we headed up I-5 in his Tesla. A couple hour later, after stopping in Sandy for a quick charge, we made our way to the Zigzag Ranger Station to get an annual snowpark permit.
The Tesla at the ranger stationNational Forest Sign
After that quick pit stop, we headed up Highway 26 in the driving rain, which turned to snow by the time we hit Govy. The drive up the Timberline Road was a little slippery in the heavy snow, and soon we found ourselves in the parking lot. The snow was coming down hard and the wind was blowing, and we met Joe who was slow rolling it after spending the night and skiing the day before.
Ready to head out
It didn’t take long to get our boots on and and our gear packed, and we headed up the hill on skins. Hitting the skin track for the first time each fall after a long, dry summer is always refreshing. Our departure time was a few minutes before 12:00 pm, and we skinned up the road in a stiff breeze. About halfway up to Silcox, we elected to drop into the canyon to try and get out of the wind.
Dan on the skin trackHeading up in a whiteout
Our hope was that it might clear up just a little bit so we could make some nice turns in the canyon, but the weather didn’t appear to be cooperating. We worked our way up to the top of the Magic Mile and then up to the mid-station on the Palmer. At that point, our rock handrail in the canyon appeared to run out, and it looked like this would be our high point for the day.
At the mid-station
Then, amazingly, as we sat around and contemplated what to do, the clouds parted to reveal the mountain above us in all her glory! We could barely believe our eyes, and the decision to head on up was an easy one.
Heading up in the sunThe boys skinning up the Palmer
We made decent time up to the top of the Palmer now that we could see the contours of the snow and where we were going, and around 2:30 pm we ripped skins and planted our beers in the snow. Looking out over the sea of clouds to the south, the views were incredible, and it definitely felt like winter.
Nearing the top of the PalmerLooking out over the clouds
After the obligatory pictures from the top of the Palmer, it was time to enjoy a frosty cold beverage. My beer of choice for this day was a strong but tasty Dead ‘n’ Dead from Rogue Ales & Spirits. A 9.8% alcohol by volume, I was feeling pretty tuned up by the time I finished it and ready to ride the fresh pow!
Dead ‘n’ Dead by Rogue Brewing
Since Dan and Joe had already got their November turns in, Joe was nice enough to grab the camera and shoot a few shots of me enjoying some turns to complete my 16th year and 192nd month of Turns-All-Year. As soon as I dropped in, I could tell we were going to be in for a great run down…
Matt dropping inA fresh November pow slash
I grabbed the camera back from Joe partway down the Palmer and returned the favor, shooting a few shots of him and Dan as they skied down. When we regrouped a bit further down, we all had the same shit eating grin on our faces.
Dan and Joe skiing the upper PalmerJoe cranking a November turn
We headed on down, and the snow continued to ski awesome. The temperature was dropping quite a bit too, and must have been around 25 degrees (compared to the 32 degrees on our approach). More turns and pictures followed as we worked our way down…
Riding down the PalmerDan getting some of the action
Joe was kind enough to grab the camera again just above the mid-station, and snapped a several shot sequence series of me ripping by him, including the two shots below…
Thumbs up all the way aroundRiding the chalky smoothy powder on the Palmer
We worked our way into the Palmer canyon below the mid-station, and what was hardly visible on the way up was glistening in the sunshine on the way down.
Joe popping off a little rollerWorking down into the Palmer canyon
We had to stop and wait for a few minutes for Dan, who was above trying to get his hands warm. After a closer inspection, it looked like new, warmer gloves were in order for him. Needless to say, I wasn’t able to get too many shots of him descending, but Joe made up the difference by absolutely ripping it up….
Joe slashing through the powHeading down the canyon
We worked our way down into the canyon and to the top of the Mile, and regrouped there before heading down into the Mile canyon. As if the conditions couldn’t get any better, the clouds receded all the way down to the lodge, and provided us with good visibility all the way back to the car.
Joe working the Palmer canyonDan & Joe near Silcox
We skied the upper Mile pretty fast, and I didn’t get a chance to shoot many photos, but was able to capture the couple of shots below as we skied towards the clouds….
The boys headed downLooking back up towards Silcox
The runout through the lower canyon skied really nicely, and we didn’t touch a rock the whole way down. Looking back up at the mountain, it was bathing in the late afternoon sunlight, and made for a very pretty backdrop (although difficult to shoot subject to to the high contrast between the skiers and the mountain).
Carving up the lower canyonHeaded down to the car
We were able to ski right down to the parking lot, and a quick skate brought us back to the car for a day that turned out way better than any of us had dreamed of.
Back at the car
At the car, it was cold. The temperatures were hovering in the mid-20’s, and the first order of business was to get the brats on the grill, as well as to change out of ski boots. Then, it was time to grab another beer and celebrate one of the best November runs on Hood in recent memory. I celebrated the turns with a tasty Updrift IPA from Pelican Brewing Co.
Tending the bratsUpdrift IPA from Pelican Brewing Co.
Before too long, the brats were fully cooked and ready to enjoy. Eating a hot brat after an afternoon of cold pow turns is hard to beat. To commemorate the moment, I setup my tripod and snapped a picture of the three of us, with the mountain looming in the background.
Group shot with the beers & brats
As we wrapped up our dinner and readied to hit the road, all three of us agreed that this would be a day we wouldn’t soon forget. With that, we loaded gear into the rigs, and headed home, fully satisfied with a great day of November turns on Mt Hood. Until next time, here’s a parting shot from the day…
As hard as it was to believe, the middle of November was here already, and that meant it was time for the annual patrol room cleanup at the Pass. As usual, the plan was to get the patrol room ready to go in the morning, and then either ski or cut in the afternoon depending on the conditions. While this year had some promise early on, it definitely looked like there wasn’t going to be any skiing on this go-around.
Morning view from the base
I pulled into Dan’s house around 7:30, and a few minutes later, we hit the road and headed up highway 58. The weather was really nice at the pass, and the sun was shining down on a clear, cold morning. The first order of business for Dan and I was to get the avy beacons up and running with fresh batteries, and then go through the evacuation gear. The evacuation gear took a bit longer than normal to check, due in part to the fact that we replaced the rope savers with new ones from Cascade Rescue.
Looking over the evacuation tees; Photo by Ian Doremus
When it was all said and done, each system was checked to make sure the ropes were in good working order, and that each evacuation tee was safe with respect to the welds, seats, pulleys, etc. When going through the entire system, I like to apply the mnemonic DCAP-BTLS from Outdoor Emergency Care. Looking at the rope and hardware, I check for deformities, contusions, abrasions, punctures/penetrations, bruises, tenderness, lacerations, and swelling. While not all of those are applicable, you get the idea.
Matt checking the gear; Photo by Ian Doremus
By the time noon rolled around, we’d checked through all of the 11 ropes and associated gear and loaded it back into the totes for deployment on opening day. I headed outside to check on some of the work the other patrollers were doing all morning, which included going through the sleds, checking the radios, and restocking the medical supplies. Dan and I were itching to get up and get a little cutting in, so I threw my pad thai in the microwave, wolfed it down, and we loaded in his truck to head up.
Getting the sleds ready
We headed up the haul road in Dan’s truck, and it was nice to see Diamond with a bit of white on it’s northside from Rough Cut. We worked our way further up the hill, and the views from mid-mountain were stellar as usual. I snapped a few photos of Dan driving up, including the second shot below…
Diamond from Rough CutHeading up the haul road
We worked our way up the haul road and past Good Time and Eagles, and then rounded the “big” corner and headed on up. Our goal was to make the top of EPA, but we were stopped a few hundred feet shy on KP by a very mushy snow drift that was about 2 feet deep. We backed down the road to the top of Charlie, turned around and decided to park with a spot that afforded an excellent view.
Looking out over Odell Lake
We grabbed our packs, saws and safety gear, and headed out. Our plan was to spend an hour or two on RTS to try to remove a few more of the taller trees we hadn’t been able to get to over the past couple of year, as well as to buck up the couple of big trees that fell early in the season the year before.
Dan putting on the safety gearMatt ready to head up
The hike to RTS didn’t even take 10 minutes, and we went straight to work. Walking around RTS with a saw in hand, and a pack full of gas and oil on my back, I’m always amazed at how steep the run is. We spent quite a bit of time cutting the hemlock bushes, which are super difficult to cut because they branch out like a mother, as well as some of the firs that are much easier on the saws…
Dan running his electric sawTaking out a bushy hemlock
I took the camera out to snap a few shots of the action, as well as the shot below of Dan looking out over RTS. After taking a few pics, I decided to head down and buck up the two big trees in the middle of the run while Dan continued to work up high. I had a bit of mixed feelings in bucking up the trees and lopping off the big, dead branches after using the trees as a landmark on numerous occasions the previous season. I realized I’d come to associate them with RTS, which as a fellow patroller later told me means they’ve probably been there too long. Nevertheless, I bucked them up, and then headed back up to catch up with Dan up top.
Looking down RTS
Back near the top, we were both hot, sweaty and tired, and agreed to call it for the day. We decided to hike over to Peak 2 to just take a look at it, and see if there was any snow hanging around. On the way over, we saw fresh elk tracks in the snow, and once up top enjoyed the views down the backside. While there wasn’t any skiable snow in the area, there was a bit hanging on in the flats of Boundary…
Looking down Boundary
After enjoying a few minutes at the top of Peak 2, it was time to head back to the truck. Both of us were getting hungry after a long day, plus there was a cold beer calling my name as well. Today’s offering, which was iced down in the cooler, was a very tasty Firestorm Red Ale from Three Creeks Brewing.
Firestorm Red Ale from Three Creeks Brewing
With a cold beer in our hands, it was time to fire up the grill and enjoy some hot brats. They cooked up fast, and coupled with some sourdough bread and mustard, they really hit the spot as the temperature started to drop. We were well positioned to catch the last rays of sun coming up over Good Time Charlie, and enjoyed dinner with a view while looking out over Odell Lake and Diamond Peak.
Cooking brats at the top of Charlie
Eventually, we devoured the brats, and it was time to head back down and hit the road. All things considered, and even though we didn’t have enough snow on the hill for any turns, we were pretty satisfied with the day and definitely looking forward to the start of the season. Let it snow!
