Last Thursday the daytime high was 50 degrees - first time all year the temperature broke the magical number. Warm days and cold nights is consolidating the snowpack and making for some great ski-touring. We still have enough snow down low that you can trek through places on skiis that are impassable jungles in Summer. Yet up high the snowpack is consistant, and, on the slopes that face the sun, the sun-warmed corn snow is a devine rip on skiis. This is the time of year to explore those out of the way creek canyons and ski down the tallest and steepest mountains - mountains that are often too far away to reach in an afternoon during the short days of winter. This is prime time for skiing.
Today Lisa, Gregg and I did a tour from the ski chalet parking lot up into the high country on Pyramid mountain and then toured up and down various mountains until we skiied down into the alders behind the antenna field. The last run was super steep and the alders made it challenging. Deep corn snow. You really have to just go for it and ski fast with few turns through the alders. Down on the flats by Bear Creek we did a little skate skiing, then some river wading and finally some hiking. All quite glorious. The fox sparrows are staking out their territories with song and the sun is warm. And best of all beer is waiting at the car.
It'll be hard for me to leave next Thursday for the South End of Kodiak, and my archaeological survey on the Olga Lakes. No skiing down there, but at least I'll be camping out in the backcountry. And the fishing, bear viewing, and archaeology ought to be fantastic. Patrick
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