January 30, 2005, Twin Lakes (Swamp Creek) Road
1/30/05
WA Cascades West Slopes North (Mt Baker)
2532
2
Tiring of the steady torrent of complaints on this and other websites ("There's no snow at all in the PNW!"), myself and a neighbor abandoned Bellingham town this morning and set off in search of such recreational opportunities as might be found in our local mountains. This proved no great chore, since skiable snow abounds here, for those willing to walk a bit.
We settled on the Twin Lakes Road, where I have often skied previously during times of low snowcover (http://www.turns-all-year.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=tr0411;action=display;num=1101100275). Sadly, the road was intermittently snow-covered above 3000 feet, and although it was easily passable in more manly vehicles, my minivan suffered alarming failures of traction, causing us to beat a strategic retreat. We began walking uphill instead, pausing briefly to help three truckloads of 4-wheelers (manly vehicles indeed!) tip a huge cedar log (±5 feet thick and maybe 35 feet long) off the road. They had been working at it for hours with levers, come-a-longs, chains and slings, a peavey and several small boulders for fulcrums, but our presence made all the difference and the log went thundering down a steep slope into the valley, shaking the ground under our feet. Very bracing, I must say.
While they regrouped, we resumed walking; following a couple of stream crossings, we started skinning around 4000 feet. Skiing was perfectly reasonable under the circumstances: several inches of soggy fresh covering a consolidated base. Following resolution of a couple of gear issues (specifically, Burton splitboard issues), we yo-yoed once above the lakes, then skied bits of road mixed with sections of open slide paths. Including negotiating a few open stream crossings, our final descent measured about 2000 feet, of which probably half consisted of actual fall line turning on natural terrain; the other half involved mainly careening gracelessly down the slushy roadway.
Not bad, for a gray Sunday in January; nice views, good turns, solitude, Blonde on Blonde, stimulating conversation, a quick stop at the North Fork Beer Shrine....and just a bit of drizzle, with light snow above 4500 feet. The fact that there is no more snow now than there was in mid-November need not force normally-intrepid backcountry skiers to spend their time stripping chintz wallpaper in the den or cleaning mystery-gunk from behind the refrigerator. Right?
Right?
enjoy,
Mark
We settled on the Twin Lakes Road, where I have often skied previously during times of low snowcover (http://www.turns-all-year.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=tr0411;action=display;num=1101100275). Sadly, the road was intermittently snow-covered above 3000 feet, and although it was easily passable in more manly vehicles, my minivan suffered alarming failures of traction, causing us to beat a strategic retreat. We began walking uphill instead, pausing briefly to help three truckloads of 4-wheelers (manly vehicles indeed!) tip a huge cedar log (±5 feet thick and maybe 35 feet long) off the road. They had been working at it for hours with levers, come-a-longs, chains and slings, a peavey and several small boulders for fulcrums, but our presence made all the difference and the log went thundering down a steep slope into the valley, shaking the ground under our feet. Very bracing, I must say.
While they regrouped, we resumed walking; following a couple of stream crossings, we started skinning around 4000 feet. Skiing was perfectly reasonable under the circumstances: several inches of soggy fresh covering a consolidated base. Following resolution of a couple of gear issues (specifically, Burton splitboard issues), we yo-yoed once above the lakes, then skied bits of road mixed with sections of open slide paths. Including negotiating a few open stream crossings, our final descent measured about 2000 feet, of which probably half consisted of actual fall line turning on natural terrain; the other half involved mainly careening gracelessly down the slushy roadway.
Not bad, for a gray Sunday in January; nice views, good turns, solitude, Blonde on Blonde, stimulating conversation, a quick stop at the North Fork Beer Shrine....and just a bit of drizzle, with light snow above 4500 feet. The fact that there is no more snow now than there was in mid-November need not force normally-intrepid backcountry skiers to spend their time stripping chintz wallpaper in the den or cleaning mystery-gunk from behind the refrigerator. Right?
Right?
enjoy,
Mark
Right.
I gotta move to Bellingham. I'm amazed at how far we were able to hike at Snoqualmie without snowshoes today - up to where the old Cascade Crest Trail hit a high point near Red Mountain. It was fun. Better than stripping wallpaper for sure. We even had moments of delierium where we imagined that it would be nice to have skis.
Right.
I gotta move to Bellingham. I'm amazed at how far we were able to hike at Snoqualmie without snowshoes today - up to where the old Cascade Crest Trail hit a high point near Red Mountain. It was fun. Better than stripping wallpaper for sure. We even had moments of delierium where we imagined that it would be nice to have skis.
Right.
Right.
Skied Alpental Sunday top to bottom for 2,200 VF of turns.
Someone invited Krusty the Klown to the top 500 VF but darn fine corn snow from there down to the car. Not bad for late May. I mean January.
All I kept tellng myself (and Ron who was kind enough to keep smiling with me) was: "this was just like skiing the John Sherburne Ski Trail in NH in late April". Good snow, no people and warm tempitures! How Fun!
Really, it was better than cleaning the junk from behind the frig.
Skied Alpental Sunday top to bottom for 2,200 VF of turns.
Someone invited Krusty the Klown to the top 500 VF but darn fine corn snow from there down to the car. Not bad for late May. I mean January.
All I kept tellng myself (and Ron who was kind enough to keep smiling with me) was: "this was just like skiing the John Sherburne Ski Trail in NH in late April". Good snow, no people and warm tempitures! How Fun!
Really, it was better than cleaning the junk from behind the frig.
Reply to this TR
Please login first: