Winter Signs a New Lease

Things were dry for a while, but a good storm during the week freshened the snowpack.  It meant that I had to break a new track, but it was worth it.  The ridge was wintery and the snow was soft.  May summer never come.

I Don't Hit Deer

Deer hit me.  I know little about the psychological state of the average deer, but I do know one thing:  Depressed?  Maybe.  Anxious?  Probably.  Suicidal?  Definitely.  It isn't like I am coming for them.  In fact, I don't see them coming.  Suddenly they jump up out of the ditch and throw themselves under my bumper.  It is frustrating:  I don't care if you want to kill yourself, but do you have to wreck my truck?  The bumper has been twisted and the lights have been jacked-up since I hit that cow a couple of years ago, and it keeps getting worse.

Along the Price River

We continue to seek dry hiking in the low country.  Today we went out south of Wellington along the Price River.  Nope.  Still too snowy and slippery.  We walked for a while on the road in the beautiful late winter light.  It was muddy, but manageable.

Two Hikes

This is the story of two (failed) hikes.  It was so bright and sunny that I thought we could probably enjoy a short canyon hike.  Sure, there would be snow, but it would be crusty in the shadows and melted in the sun.  Um, no.  It was neither crusty nor melted, but deep and unconsolidated.  We post-holed for 20 minutes and then gave up.  Back out on the pavement, I noted that the south side slopes were snow free and that we should try to walk the old railroad line.  Well.  It was a mix of ice and mud so slippery that I, usually sure-footed, nearly ate $#!T at least thrice.  When we once again reached the safety of the oil, I said to VSO, "I tole ya we shoulda stayed home."

Snow Pit

We went out on the skis again yesterday and this time we carried the probe and the shovel.  We made our way to a northwest facing bowl and dug a snow pit.  I started digging and VSO finished.  We found about 46 inches of snow; not as much as I'd expected.  With the exception of a thin sugary layer along the ground and a couple of inches of wind slab at the surface, the entire snowpack has consolidated into a solid block.

Other Skiers

Things have been quiet at this newspaper.  Our journalists and editors have been busy with other things.  In the last five days alone, we've been in New York, Utah, southern Colorado, and back to Utah.  Today, though, things are back to normal:  I went skiing on the National Forest.  To my surprise there was already a track in place.  I don't know any other back country skiers in Price, so I expected to break my own trail.  I went out for 40 minutes and didn't reach the end of the track.  Good.  Easy skiing and I can go back to tomorrow.

Return to USNY

I didn't realize that it had been four years and three months.  This time I went by myself.  It was still 12 hours door to door, but on this trip I didn't help Poppop in the garden.  First, it isn't growing season in Upstate New York.  Second, Poppop has been sick for a couple of months and doesn't have the strength to work outdoors.  Fortunately he is looking a little better each day and I’m hoping that there may be a garden in the future.  In the meantime, I’ll probably be posting from the strong clear light of southern Utah again next week.