Back to Burning

We were back to burning this week.  This time it was piles.  Thousands of piles.  We might have 50,000 to burn.  On this day we probably got 2,000.  Another 25 days of piles?

Trail Breaker

The first real winter storm hit southern Utah today.  We finally had enough snow to cover the skis.  So we went out to Center Creek for a couple of miles.  Things have changed:  For the past decade I've been breaking trail, but now EDO is too strong.  She has been getting stronger while the rest of us have been getting older.  Now she breaks trail and I enjoy the ride.

MLK MB Weekend

We got a little dump last weekend.  (It is, after all, January.)  EDO started talking about breaking out the skis.  But, as the week progressed, we knew we should stick with the bikes.  On Friday, the girls hiked this hill.  On Saturday, we rode the Sunnyside loop at Three Peaks.  By today, EDO was ready for the Big Hole.  No problem.  She is quickly becoming a better rider than the rest of us.

January Broadcast Burn

While the week ended with another small slug of moisture—rain and snow—it began with conditions so dry that the woods were burning.  We were helping to be sure, but it didn't take much.  In this stand, at 8700 feet, fire consumed much of the fine fuel.  Actually, we were lucky.  We wanted to burn this stand, but didn't know when we could do it.  The area is usually snow covered until May and, after that, no one wants to light a fire in the woods.  So, to get it during the long dry winter was a stroke of good fortune.