Day 1- Technical Difficulties

Feb 12, 2017

Segment: Mt. Ashland parking lot to stream, 9 miles (but not yet to the starting point on the CA border).

Weather: 40 degrees (+-5, my little thermometer is not precise) and mostly sunny.

Today was not the meditative glide through the glades and over the hilltops I had expected and hoped for. It was a slugfest with my skis struggling to maintain grip and balance on a thin, wet powder over an icy crust. Concentration, not contemplation, was the name of the game.

Every journey starts by leaving the safety of the parking lot

Knowing something of the backcountry, I had decided before the trip started that it would probably be best to follow nearby roads instead of trying to track exactly on the PCT. The idea would be that a wider, flatter opening through the trees would be easier and safer to travel. After the first mile of groomed road it became immediately apparent that the snow was so deep that the roads did not level the snow at all. The surface angled down the mountainsides uninterrupted as if a road was not even there.

Under the deep blue sky and the brilliant sun, I struggled to cross slope after slope without plunging myself hundreds of feet down to the trees. This was not so much an issue of safety as it was one of wasting time climbing back up to continue forward.

There is something thrilling and invigorating about wide open, snowy meadows under blue sky!

Thrill drained into exhaustion as ungroomed side slopes became the norm

Needless to say, I was being rudely awakened about my lengthening timelines. By the end of the day I had made only 9 miles and my expectation was that I would reach Jackson Gap, 12 miles away. I dared even hoped to make the border 4 miles further. Alas, that was not to be.

From what I have read, almost everybody who sets out on big journeys reach a point where they begin to doubt the wisdom and/or possibility of achieving the goal. I reached that point by lunchtime on my first day. This was not all proceeding like any of my other ski trips. Granted, the terrain and conditions were quite different, but reality is reality.

And God is God, who usually gives me a Scripture passage that serves as a sort of theme for my trips. This time was no different, and although it took a bit of unwrapping, I began to repeat the text like a mantra as I encountered difficulty after unexpected difficulty.

“Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.” (Psalms 19:13)

The Holy Spirit had to repeat it a bunch of times before it sank in. Who was I to assume and presume the scheduling for this expedition? Why was I judging this trip based on previous different trips? In other words, relax, Ed, and enjoy the journey! Stop allowing your own presumptions to have dominion over you.

As I made safety and photos first, I settled into the slow rhythm of the snowy path. God called me to this path and so I was going to enjoy it for what it was worth, even if I couldn’t finish. And even if I couldn’t make one long continuous ski track from California to Washington.

Not everything was painful. Most of my day was spent cutting the first track through fresh snow!

Mount Shasta was often visible

As the sun shone hotter and hotter the angled layers of snow became more treacherous. Finally, I took off my skis and carried them across dangerous places. Better to be humble than dead!

Sometime around 4pm on a small road curving around a ridge I came across a stream pouring down the side of the mountain. Perfect! I set up camp, climbed down to the stream, and drank water without needing to take the time or fuel to melt snow. Just what I needed after an exhausting, sunburning day!

Now I sit in my tent and look east.

Mountains and ridges sink into the distance

and fade into darkening blue, then gray, then black.

All is quiet.

The whole world seems to be quiet.

Not a sound.

Not a swish of the wind

or the call of a bird

or the buzzing of a bug.

Even the silence itself is dampened by the snow.

Winter silence always seems to be quieter

than summer silence.

If only the whole world could just rest,

for even a minute or two

at the same time,

together.

We exhaust ourselves in self-made stress.

We presume to own and dominate,

to schedule and organize,

according to our own insufficient ideas.

How much better we would be

if we let Infinite Wisdom guide our lives

through pleasures and trials alike

so that we could learn to trust,

to rest our frayed emotions

in His loving hands.

When we serve God,

rather than self,

He keeps us upright.

He keeps us from falling.

Jesus holds our right hand

and sustains us

and elevates us

and keeps us joyfully innocent.

Today I thank my Father for getting me started, keeping me safe, and leading me to the only stream in the entire area.

Note:

It’s only fair to add a note about the pros and cons of my skis. I am using 125cm Altai Hoks (124/110/122). They are short, fat skis with built-in skins that are fantastic for manuevering in wooded areas. Skins always lift the steel edge of the ski a bit so that reduces gripping ability. They are often referred to as “ski shoes”. Most of my skiing, and most of this trip, will be through woods. Especially with more normal conditions, I expect much better performance. To be fair, I am not sure any backcountry ski would fair much better in the layered conditions I encountered today.

Also, I am using the universal binding so that I can use almost any boot. That binding only attaches to the ski in front of the toe. The heel is not locked down like in a downhill ski. That reduces control.