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Weekly adventures of the intrepid cross country skiers!
In more or
less reverse time order...
??? -- Sadly, any trip reports for this season (2000-2001) after 2/17/2001 are lost to posterity due to laziness on my part on writing them. Here's what I remember on Dec. 1, 2001:
There were a lot of cancellations after 3/10 due to rain and lack of interest. I remember a nice day up on Mt. Rainier with me and Corinne -- I've got some great pictures from that day. We headed up the trail from Narada Falls, then connected with the road leading through Stevens Canyon to Reflection Lakes. (See map.) The snow was just thick enough to ski on the road, though we had to walk a couple times. They had cleared off the road, but one last spring snowstorm added a few inches to make it skiable again. The Lakes were just beautiful on that partly sunny day. I got to get those pictures up here!
3/10, Saturday -- That Dam Loop: the End of an Era - The guidebook suggests a nice loop that starts from Crystal Springs snow park "Snowmobile Heaven" (or hell, depending on your perspective) and goes in a loop along the Iron Horse Trail and over the dam at the end of Lake Keechelus. I can't remember who came on this one.... but I do remember making it around the loop most of the way and finding the little trail from the Iron Horse Trail completely obliterated by snowmobile tracks! To make matters worse, even the Iron Horse Trail itself had the groomed tracks mostly wiped out by the nasty beasts. (If you want to know why I hate snowmobiles, check out this link!) We managed to stumble over the bumpy trail through the woods in the gathering twilight and made it back to our cars. Sadly, when I stopped to ask the ranger about this problem, they said they had maintained the connector trail for years, but continually had snowmobiles violating it. Signs would disappear, etc. So they finally gave up and removed the "skiers only" designation on that trail. Without skier vigilance, this could happen elsewhere!
3/3, Saturday -- Trail #17. Corinne, Steve K, Judi and Ann came along on this one. The trail starts outside the town of Easton and leads gently up along a road. Kissed by the constant passing of snowmobiles, we decided to take a side trail that Ann suggested that lead south. The trail narrowed quite a bit and went up and around a hill. We stopped for lunch and Ann and Judi headed back, for that "must-do" evening social event. Me, Steve and Corinne continued up the trail, climbing over a large mound of snow in the road. We made it to the top of a windswept knoll for a nice view of the surrounding countryside.
2/25, Sunday -- Blewitt Pass. Despite the snowmobile tracks, there were no snowmobile tracks on that bright sunny day. Me, Judi, Ann, Corinne and a couple others? started up the trail and went up a few switchbacks on the road. We got a little nervous about the downhill, so turned around after a mile or two and cruised down nicely. (What WERE we worried about?) We then went over to another nearby park to the north of Blewitt and skied down by a creek for awhile. Aw...sunshine!
2/17, Saturday -- Lake Wenatchee State Park. What a great day! Corinne, Ann, Judi and I met at the Park & Ride and drove up to the state park near Leavenworth. I had prepared everyone for a 2.5 hour drive but due to no stops and good road conditions we got there in 1 3/4 hours! So we were on the trail by 11am. The lake was serenely still for the first time since I've been there. (Usually there is a bit of wind by the lake.) We started out on the banks of the lake, then cut uphill to reach the trail to the golf course. The trails were freshly groomed, and there was fresh powder. Ann and I traded skis for awhile since we both have 3-pin bindings. I found hers a bit slicker than mine, and she found my skis easier on uphills. Upon comparing them side-by-side, we found that the scales on my skis are a millimeter or 2 thicker, which appears to make a huge difference in climbing ability. (Call me Spiderman!) The sky wasn't blue but the sun was trying to peek out and it was somewhat bright. We decided to head up the Ridge Trail, a 6.9 mile trail that heads around a mountain ridge. It is recommended to go counterclockwise because one section of the trail is so steep and narrow. But since we weren't gonna do the whole trail we headed clockwise. The trail slowly climbed the ridge, then descended slowly into a valley in the first couple miles. At that point the map suggested the trail would not be groomed, but it was! So we continued. At the 4-mile mark I asked what the group wanted to do, and it was decided to keep going, and head down the steep slope walking if need be. So we continued up. The 2 miles beyond were mostly uphill and we got a progressively better view of the valley below. We reached the top and were ready for a snack break. While stopped, a couple of Judi's friends came by for a visit. They told us the trail was only groomed for another 100 yards or so, then it was a very steep downhill with deep snow, and they recommended against us going that way. We thought about it and decided they were right, so we headed back the 5.5 mile way we had come. For about 1.5 miles it was a nice continuous glide, with a couple of white-knuckle segments. Judi and Ann went ahead, while Corinne and I leisurely cruised down the slopes. We reached the end of the ridge trail by 4:30 and headed down to the cars. Ann and Judi had left already, having told us previously that they had things to get back for. So we hopped in the car and headed back after quite a day -- an estimated 13 or 14 miles!
2/16, Friday -- Grasslawn Park, Redmond. We got just enough snow in the lowlands for me to attempt this stunt. At the spur of the moment I went looking for a place to ski on the Eastside. A park by Lake Sammamish and Marymoor Park did not have enough -- perhaps due to warm air blowing off the lake? So I went up the hill to Grasslawn Park. A few snowmen had been built by park visitors, but there was still enough of the white stuff for me to ski on. I did a quick loop around the park. The only tricky section was the soccer field -- the snow was on top of mud and I slowly slogged through that to reach the other side. I built part of an igloo near the park entrance but gave up, then created a snow armchair so I could rest. Ahhhh!
2/11, Sunday -- Cabin Creek, episode 4 - We forlornly peered at the lack of snow at the parking area for Bandera Overlook -- obviously it wasn't gonna happen. So we went to Plan B -- Cabin Creek again. Carl, Corinne, Kelly, Beryl, Tanya, Roy and I headed out on the Viking Course. (See map) The snow conditions at Cabin Creek were great -- several inches of fresh powder. I had warned a couple folks who'd never done the loop before that there were a couple of scary spots, but before I had a chance to warn them they went down the scariest one, none the worse for wear. So the confidence was high when we reached the turnoff point for the Mt. Ozbaldy loop, a most difficult route. I wanted to do it, and Corinne agreed to come with me. It was a steep uphill climb, and when we paused for a rest Beryl caught up with us. We climbed some more and were rewarded with a near-360 degree view of the area, absolutely beautiful! The way down was a nailbiter, though. A couple of rather steep sections had us concerned, but we all made it down. Then we cruised back to the Berg course and finished the loop. But we didn't see the others, so skied up the road and back. Finally we headed back to the cars and reconnected with the group there.
2/4, Sunday -- Miss-Adventures on Mt. Catherine. For some cosmic reason, all the guys planning to come on this trip cancelled (except me) and I was left with 6 women: Beryl, Ann, Debra, Kelly, Inma and Anja. The day started out in dismal fashion as we drove up to the Pass in the rain. In the past we've been lucky and the rain has turned to snow at the Pass but the rain continued as we drove into the parking lot at the Hyak Nordic Center. We walked up to the lodge to meet a couple earlybirds, and ran into Johnny Jeans, a Mountaineers member known to several of us. He works weekends at Snoqualmie and told us the forecast might give us some hope -- the rain could turn to snow later in the day. We took heart, and as we walked out of the lodge it stopped raining! So we set off down the freshly groomed trail under an overcast sky. By the time we hit the warming yurt at the 4K mark, several of our stomachs were growling so we stopped for a quick snack. We'd made that far in one hour, so I figured at that point we'd be getting back about 4:30 or 5. The road ahead was ungroomed after the yurt and a couple of us decided to go back. The remaining 5 took to the road and followed the tracks of 3 other skiers just ahead of us. After about a mile of this we heard the sweet (in a relative sense) sound of the snow grooming machine coming down the road toward us. We all cheered the two drivers as they rode past in much the same way Paris welcomed the Americans driving out the Nazis in World War II. Another hour had barely passed and we'd gotten to the top of the hill and it was already about the 8K mark. For time's sake we decided to bypass the warming hut there and continue on. There was a slight chill wind by now and we stopped to put on warmer clothing. A little further on the road started down and we got quite a nice coasting down for a couple of kilometers. We could see the I-90 highway way down below, the part just before you hit the Pass going eastbound. I tried to copy the graceful telemark turns Kelly was doing down the slope (we have the same kind of skis) and did a snowplow with my face! After almost taking a wrong turn, we did some more downhill down a corridor of trees that occasionally flung loose snow at us. By now it was starting to sprinkle a bit, so we were all quite happy upon getting to the hut at Grand Junction. A quick meal and rest there, and we headed back into the rain. Anja and Kelly decided to take the daredevil approach and head down the steep slope next to the chairlift. The rest of us took the purportedly easier route down River Run, only to find it was quite steep as well. The powder was deep, however, and patient snowplowing got us down the hill. We arrived back at the lodge at 3:30 -- guess it was a shorter trip than I thought! We all felt pretty wiped -- but a good kinda wiped.
1/27, Saturday -- Deer Valley Trail - abort, no snow! I, Marla, Steve K., Carl, Ann and her friend set off to Deer Valley but decided to head up towards Steven's Pass due to lack of snow. A quick sidetrip off the road failed to find enough snow at another trail so we headed back to the road without Ann and friend (who decided to hike/ snowshoe instead.) We got to Smith Brook Road rather late -- about 12:30. At the very start I could tell it would be much better than the icy snow we'd seen last time (see 1/6) -- the snow had a very thin veneer of ice on the top but there was several inches of gorgeous powder underneath! We started up the trail and soon, under a suggestion from Marla, we started up a small slope. Steve, the only one with track skis, was having problems so he and Carl headed back to the trail while we traversed the slope. Pretty soon we were all back together on the road. The sun was peaking out of the clouds, energizing us. We kept going up and managed to make the top of a rather long slope by 3:30. We checked out the valley below and hung around at the crest for half an hour eating and watching Marla do mini-telemark turns. Then the descent -- a fun ride down, with a couple of big bumps where previous avalanches had dropped snow on the trail. (No avalanche problems that day.) We still managed to get down by 5, just as the sun was setting. All in all, a glorious day!
1/20, Saturday -- Methow Valley, Pt. 2. We awoke a bit earlier but still didn't hit the trail till about 11. This time we headed up the Thompson Ridge Road. It was a steady climb up to the top which took about 1.5 hours. By then we were really looking forward to the downhill run. The conditions were not bad -- there had been about a half inch dusting of snow the night before. The sun was hiding behind clouds pretty much all day so it was a bit gray. At the beginning of the downslope it was not very steep and I had to pole to keep going, but it eventually turned into a fun romp. A couple of folks made sitzmarks, but most of us made it unscathed. The loop was turning into a longer trip than we expected... it was 2:30 and we decided to stop for a brief lunch. After that we encountered the branch-off to the Lower Inside Passage, the first and only 'most difficult' trail we tried. What a fun trail -- it got you going just fast enough to be exciting but not so scary that you'd freak out. It was a bit narrow but there was enough space to slalom a bit and we made it down rather quickly. From there it was a short trip to the warming hut where we gratefully inhaled hot cocoa and pastries around 4pm. We then went our separate ways.
1/19, Friday -- Methow Valley, Pt. 1. ( Jeffrey took pictures of our trip! ) I, Jeffrey, 2 Magali's (Jeffrey's wife and sister), sister Magali's boyfriend, Marielle, Julie and Darren headed to the Methow Valley and stayed Thurs night at the Patterson Lake Cabins at Sun Mountain Lodge. In the morning, we got up bright and early and were out on the trail by ... er, um, noon? OK, we got a late start and decided to ski up to the lodge to purchase our trail passes. The trails were recently groomed and we made it up in about an hour. They gave us a break and let us buy the half day passes. We skied up a loop trail near the lodge and basked in the sunshine. Then we headed down a long, slow glide into a valley (bye-bye sun) and got to a little group of old buildings. Jeffrey and Marielle got in a snowball fight while climbing on an old horse-drawn wagon. (Not sure, but I think Jeffrey might have won.) We then set off down our first 'more difficult' trail of the day. In the Methow Valley, it seems the ratings are a bit scarier sounding than they really are - the 'more difficult trail' had pretty mild hills though it was fun. We arrived back at the cabins as the light was fading and enjoyed an evening of gourmet food prepared by our French contingent.
1/13, Saturday -- Return to Cabin Creek. Zhenya, Mark K., Ann, Corinne, Allan and Steve K. headed up to Cabin Creek. While getting out of the cars, I ran into Mike, an acquaintance who was skiing with some friends. We headed up the trail and found there was racing going on that day, so some of the trails were blocked off. We headed off down the main road and followed it to the end. While stopped there for a snack, a few people I know from the Mountaineers came by and said hello. We headed back to do the advanced loop. Zhenya, a first-time cross country skier, gamely agreed to do the loop with us. She fell a few times, but in general did very good for her first time. The loop was fun but ended all too quickly back at the main trail juncture. (We apparently missed the trail sign and ended up doing the shorter intermediate route.) At the junction we ran into Mike's group again and he suggested to Anja that she contact me for future ski outings. (She did just that -- see 2/4) Ann had to leave just then, but the rest of us skied back up the road to the end. On the way back, the snow conditions were just perfect -- there is a very slight downhill and I literally felt like I was floating down the trail. It's never a bad day at Cabin Creek!
1/6, Saturday -- Tire Track Trail. I, Jenny, Beryl, Laurence and Marielle had to bail on the Miller River Trail due to lack of snow, but chose a replacement trail: Smith Brook Road at Steven's Pass. More details to come!
12/31/2000, Sunday -- Last Ski of the Year. We got a super-late start on the day, leaving North Bend around 11:30am to head up to Cabin Creek. There were 4 of us: me, Cyndy U., Chad B. and Lisa S. Despite their several years of skiing, neither Cyndy nor Lisa had been to Cabin Creek, and boy were they in for a treat! The snow conditions turned out really nice. As we pulled into the parking lot it was raining, but by the time we had finished getting our gear prepared it had turned to snow and stayed that way the rest of the day. We set out on the big loop which goes into a couple of black diamond slopes as well as a lot of nice intermediate up and down. A couple of us ended up walking down a few slopes -- discretion being the better part of valor. At one point Chad and I decided to take the advanced route and arranged to meet the women at the next juncture. Or at least that's what I thought -- as Chad was leaving he suggested they could "go on past there and we'll catch up with you." (Bad Chad!) So we ended up waiting at the juncture for 15 minutes until a speed skater came back around the miniloop and told us they were waiting ahead for us. We zoomed down a hill and caught up with them soon. A brief lunch stop later and we were about ready to head back to the cars.
12/23, Saturday -- Two for Two. There would have been three skiers, but one got sick that morning and could not join us, so Corinne and I headed over the Pass to Lake Easton State Park. I had just put my snow tires on - just in time to test them out on the snow-covered drive into the park. Oddly enough, we got there at 11am and were the first skiers there! It was cool if a bit eerie as we hit the freshly groomed trail and skied up to a bridge overlooking the lake on one side and the Interstate on the other. It's really a bizarre thing to be skiing next to a major highway (in sight of one, I mean, not on the shoulder of it!) and I'm sure we caught the attention of a motorist or two. We skied up a slight slope and ran into our first company - a couple of snowshoers coming in from another trail. (These were polite snowshoers who didn't trample our tracks.) From there we skied up a hill toward Frozen Toe Point. Along the way it appeared the snowplow guy wasn't completely on his game, for the tracks were a bit crooked in spots. We both began to have problems with snow sticking to our skis by the time we reached the point. Luckily, I had a banana, so Corinne and I endeavored to repeat the banana-skin-rubbed-on-skis experiment. (See 11/26.) It worked pretty well - the skis stayed slicker on the way back. We did finally run into one other pair of skiers, and a few snowmobilers went by on the nearby snowmobile trails. All too soon we were back to the cars. It was only 1:30, so we drove up the road to Cabin Creek to give it a try. What a difference! There were many cars in the lot and the snow - though nicely groomed - had definitely been well-utilized. It was still nice, though in the center the skate lanes had been pretty thrashed by the hordes of skate skiers. We had a nice quick trip around the intermediate loop. I had forgotten how nice Cabin Creek is -- no wonder it's so popular. (Though Lake Easton is also a cool place, it is smaller and another 15 minutes past Cabin Creek. It still puzzles me that it doesn't draw more people, however.)
12/17, Sunday -- The Trouble with Snowshoers. Carl H. and I decided to do an intermediate trip up the Kendall Knob. We parked at the Gold Creek Snow Park and headed up the trail. There had been a few snowshoers earlier, and they had formed a trail through the fresh snow. Carl and I made a ski trail of our own, to make our descent easier later on. (Or so we thought...) We began climbing up the sloped trail and soon overtook a couple of women skiers. I talked to one and found this was only her 4th outing on cross country skis. (A brave person for this trail.) Before long we reached a small valley where we caught up with her friend, the triathlete, and they headed up the trail ahead. Carl and I stopped for a quick snack, then took a small trail heading up a hillside. Before long it dead-ended (which probably explained why it was lightly traveled) and we had to come back down. Back at the junction in the trail we ran into the two women again, this time on their way down. We headed up the trail a little further and reached the first Kendall Knob. A nice view, despite the low clouds in the sky that day. Then we turned around to head down. At first the snow conditions were fine, though there were quite a few ski and snowshoe tracks around. There was still plenty of space to cut your own tracks to slow your descent. But by the time we were 2/3 of the way down, the nail-biting began in earnest. The trail was narrower and many more showshoe tracks had virtually obliterated the trail. There was literally a 2-foot deep, 6-feet wide trench down the middle of the road and precious little to catch your skis on at the edges. So Carl and I stumbled along and eventually made it back. This trail is one that I only recommend in fresh snow conditions. Otherwise it gets very icy and bumpy due to the large number of snowshoe tracks. Today it was OK, but I remember last year was a horror story... If only snowshoers would respect the trails of skiers and not tromp them down to leave the skiers no easy way down. Sigh... I think we need more signs to sensitize all the new entrants into the sport.
12/9, Saturday -- Demo Day at Steven's Pass. We got a real late start and arrived there about 1pm. Bob F. and his group including Karen R. (a lister) were already there and glomming onto the demos. By the time we got skis it was almost time for the free skate skiing lesson. Corinne, Carl H. and I took the lesson while Alison tried her new skis out on a real trail. The skate skiing is a real blast -- you can go really fast. Having experience with both cross country and alpine skiing, I found it much easier to pick up than I expected. I will get into this sport someday -- when the price tag for ski packages doesn't give me heart failure. A package of skate skis, boots and poles; our instructor noted, runs about $500. (This compares to about $150 - $200 for regular cross country packages.) Yow! I tried out the free skate skis on the trail while the others traded in their skis for snowshoes and tried a brief outing. It's much more difficult to skate ski going uphill! The way down was fun, though. I wouldn't have expected it, but skate skis are very maneuverable even on a downhill slope. I had no problem using a snowplow to stop.
12/10, Sunday -- Demo Day at Snoqualmie. The only folks who called me were Jeffrey and Magali, so I met them at the Park & Ride. They told me they would be running late, so I brought a book and read while I waited. Right after I pulled into the lot and parked, the snow started falling. Within 20 minutes the ground was covered with about a half inch of snow! When the newlyweds arrived we though about cancelling based on the weather. But Jeffrey wanted to try his new hybrid car (half gas, half electric) in the snow and also use his new ski rack. So we went up, and were glad we did. It did take us quite awhile to get up to the Pass. Had to put on the chains and creep along with other slow-driving cars and trucks. The hybrid car is cool, though. When it idles, the gas motor shuts off so there is no exhaust... After a brief stop at the Traveler's Rest, we got to Demo Day (ironically at the same time as Saturday's trip: 1pm). I decided to get skis like my hybrid Karhus and was glad of my choice. The main difference I noted is that these were much slicker. Guess I need to wax my skis... (Ran into the skate ski instructor from Saturday who said hello near the demo tents.) We also ran into Dani G., another member of this list. She and friend Peter were up for the day and had arrived a little before us. So we joined forces and skied up the only open trail. The trail was a pretty one -- groomed nicely but already a bit cut up from the sheer number of demo skiers that had passed by on it. We skied part-way around Mt. Catherine and were rewarded with some nice views. See Jeffrey's pictures on his page! This is part of the Mt. Catherine Loop trail; a trip I will lead in the near future. (It's an all-day intermediate trip.) All too soon, it was time to return. I was surprised to notice on the way back that you can see the Iron Horse Trail where we skied the previous week. (See 12/3 for details.) Next time I'm in that lot I'll look up for the skiers on this trail...
12/3, Sunday -- It was a huge group for the beginner's special. Carl H., Linda, Bob F. & Pat H., Steve K. and friend, Jeanette S., Cyndy & Chad, Barb & Scott, Bjarne & Tamara w/ baby in tow, and one other woman (whose name escapes me) met us up at the Park & Ride. After various misadventures, we all made it to the Iron Horse Trail and began skiing. At first it was very rough and we thought it was unplowed. But within 100 feet of the parking lot the grade settled out and was groomed the rest of the way. We skiied out for about an hour, then some of us had lunch on a hill overlooking Lake Keechelus. It was a slate gray day, but we could see a few patches of blue sky here and there which gave us hope. I spent most of my energy sprinting back and forth between the slow and fast groups -- too much energy, in fact. I discovered muscles I didn't know I had -- the ones on the interior of my legs were sore for a week afterwards!
11/25, Saturday -- Carl H., Marielle and I drove up to Steven's Pass to ski on Smith Brook Road. While it was raining much of the drive, by the time we reached the Pass it had turned to snow. We got on our skis to tackle a logging road near the nordic center. It was 1/4 mile from where we had to park, so we skied alongside the highway. (We were not very close to the cars, BTW.) There was about a foot of snow on the ground as we started. At the entrance to the road we saw 2 snowmobilers easing their "hogs" back onto their trailers. "Good," I thought, but my thought was scarcely out of my brainpan before we ran into a whole caravan of the smoke-snorting beasts. Luckily they turned around and headed back up the road and were not seen again. The road was well-covered in snow, and we skied up in the building snowpack. We reached the turnaround point, and I was surprised the snowmobiles had not returned to wipe out our tracks. Imagine our surprise as we saw a big pickup truck driving up the road towards us! We hadn't skied very far down before we had to get out of the way for the pickup's return, and then a small car headed downhill. (This doesn't happen later in the season!) Ironically, the ruts in the road formed a sort of mini-luge that made our descent a little quicker... we arrived back at the car just as it got dark. I thought the adventure was over, but then we decided to hike up to a hot springs on the way back. My flashlight had a weak battery, so we made it about a mile up the road using ambient light before the snow made it too slippery to continue. It was an eerie scene -- through the hazy drizzle we could see headlights of cars as they came down from the Pass. Above us the high voltage lines crackled, and we could see sparks along the wires and could hear a light buzz... We all slept well that night.
11/26, SUNDAY -- The Saturday Trio decided to hazard a trip to Snoqualmie Pass. We were getting a bit worried as we drove up in a downpour, but just before we hit the Pass it turned to snow. There was a bit of a backup heading eastbound, so we didn't get out of our car at the Price Creek Campground until 1:30pm. We skied off through the campground and onto a trail through the falling white stuff. Only a couple of hikers had marred the perfection of the snow. We quickly discovered the snow was rather sticky -- "peanut-butter snow" as I like to call it. By the time we stopped for lunch we were debating what would happen if you waxed no-wax skis. (Would the ski cops pull you over??!) Since we had no wax with us, the point appeared moot until I jokingly suggested rubbing the leftover banana peel over the skis. Marielle and Carl did just that, and they say it works! We continued our trip along the dam at the end of Lake Keechelus, and took a shortcut through the trees to get to the Iron Horse Trail. By the time we hit the last section of trail it was already pretty dark. We reached the Price Creek Snow Park, skied out the gate and down the road, dodging a snowmobile-towing truck that slid into the ditch. Then the driving adventure began... Imagine if you will the last night of Thanksgiving vacation. The folks who visited Eastern Washington are heading back over the pass as the biggest snowfall of the season (so far) is falling. The result was an extra hour heading back, creeping past the nimrods on the shoulder who waited to put their chains on until they slid onto the side of the road! Oh well, it was a fun day anyhoo.
11/12/2000, SUNDAY -- WOOPS! Carl H., Marielle and I drove up to Snoqualmie Pass for the first ski of the season. Unfortunately there was 1 inch of snow, so we ended up hiking around Mardi Lake instead. (Gee, didn't know that trail was paved -- usually it's under a few feet of snow when I see it!)
LAST YEAR -- We went to lots of places almost every weekend. And yet I don't think we skied in the same place twice... Some of the more exotic locales were Mt. St. Helenes, Olympic Mountains and Leavenworth.
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