Day 6 - Beautiful Snow is Slow Snow

Feb 24, 2017

Segment: Little Pilot Rock to Hwy 66, 6.5 miles.

Weather: Low 10 degrees, high 40 degrees, foggy clearning to mostly sunny.

The previous night ended with a series of downward revisions on goals. Throughout the day it became clear that I would not make it past 66, or even to 66, or even to the spring several miles from 66. I set up camp about half a mile from the spring.

In a way, it didn’t matter. When I reached the spring this morning it was not flowing. There was huge indentation in the snow in the middle of the meadow, so I knew the spring would flow again when it warmed up. Oh well. I melted snow and ate breakfast.

Probably another inch of corn snow and fluff fell through the night. I could hear it gently pelting the tent. What is another inch when you already have a foot?!

The morning broke gray and foggy, but the fog soon broke to reveal glimpses of golden yellow snow on the ground and the trees. I could never get my camera out quite fast enough to capture the fleeting moments. However, you can see there were brilliant blue and white breaks under the rapid sky.

There was not a whole lot new today, nor did it last long. It was mostly a long shallow downhill to the highway where I would bail. The forecast predicted a snowstorm beginning the next afternoon and it was clear at this pace that I would need two days to get to the pickup point.

Therefore, why rush? If my only goal was to get from A to B, then I should take a plane! I enjoyed the beauty and the soft swish of the skis. It occurred to me that beautiful snow is slow snow. Fast snow is partly melted and packed and has had time to accumulate debris from the trees. Beautiful snow is fresh and fluffy powder that glistens and sparkles. The ideal is the combination of the two with a few inches of powder on top of a packed (not icy) base.

Short, but sweet, my trip ended as I reached the road and waited for the cavalry to rescue me—namely, Rhonda in her little cubic banana of a car, a bright yellow Scion Xb. She is so willing to help. I love her for that!

In between the fog and clouds there were some brilliant blues and whites!

Peeking into the valley below

Twins always strike me. Maybe because I’m a twin?

Today I am thankful for snow bridges. The Master Provider provided one over each of the more than two dozen water crossings. My skis stayed dry!

Tip: Wax the top of skis so heavy snow falls off easier.