Photos:
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3890521007/
My backcountry ski boots had been tearing up my feet. I made some changes for the 3/5 Hut Trip; and that made them even worse. Made some more changes, and wanted to get out to test them. My friend Mike was open to getting out and working with me if I had to stop or turn around due to the boots.
We met at 7am, packed up our stuff, and headed out to Herman's gulch. There was a possibility we would meet up with another group out there. When we got there, we talked to one of the folks from that group; but decided to head in on our own for two reasons. Mainly because we needed to be done early as we were getting together that evening with some other folks; but also just in case I had to stop or turn around because of my boots. We started up the trail around 8:40am.
The trail was pretty bare for the first quarter mile, and I was a little concerned about the snow and conditions we would find. However, soon we hit packed snow on the trail, followed by the snow getting deeper and deeper. We got to the valley with a view of Pettingell Peak and the CDT. There were sections of the trail that were quite packed, and we ran into some spots where we were sinking in to our knees or even mid-thigh. Soon after that, we put on our skis and started to skin in the valley rather than hike and fight the deep snow wearing our skis on our backs.
We started to skin up the North facing slopes, as the Southern slopes were already getting too soft from the beautifully sunny day we were having. Unfortunately, my boots were still causing issues with my feet, so we quickly stopped so I could tape up a little. We got to the top, and started our first run down around noon. The snow was okay. Sometimes it was wonderful powder, but unfortunately, sometimes it turned to a crusty hard pack. Threw my balance off more than once.
We skinned up for another run, and got a second run in starting around 1pm. The snow had softened up a bit more, and the second run was awesome. We then started to ski out back to our cars. We were able to get another small run in on the way, and were able to use our momentum to make it most of the way down the valley. We skied as far down the trail as we could (likely farther than we should have.) Took off the skis and attached them to the pack to finish the hike back to the cars.
Got to the cars just before 2pm. Mike had some Izze's, which we chilled on the snow as we cleaned up, changed, and put our gear in the truck. It was an awesome day. Both of us commented on how this trip would be a dream trip for many; and we are so blessed and spoiled that this backcountry fun was really just our morning plans - something to do before getting together with friends that evening. Almost too good to be true...
Hope you enjoy the
pics!
A.J.
Photos: http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3890521007/
Group Room (multiple albums): http://ajoutdoors.snapfish.com/snapfish