1/6/2013, Yodelin

Did a solo up Yodelin...which is never my preference.  It's nice to think that the trees are safe for such solo adventures but with recent reports of crowns and slabs in the trees I think we'd all do well to remember that this is not necessarily the case.  Still in THIS case things were stable and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.  As if to spook me or sober me the snow god still dealt me quite a bizarre scare.  While I was taking my skins off at the summit of the 5k peak (not the 5.2k) I heard several clicks (as if from a woodpecker) and thought maybe some other skiers were approaching.  There was no wind.  Then I thought I heard voices and turned abruptly to see no one there.  Just snow ghosts.  Then CRACK!!! a ten inch diameter well rooted pine snapped two feet up from the snow base and fell 15 feet to my 6.  Holy f*&^.  Oh well, never mind recent tales of falling trees killing innocents on hwy 2, i headed down an openish snowfield back toward the car. 

Perhaps I should have known...the skiing was too good.  There were none of the recently reported snow-bombs nor any of the tracks I'd seen coming up.  Checked my gps and found I was well and truly headed toward the nordic trail system on the back side.  OH well, skinned back up and went home. 

I thought it interesting that SE aspects of the Yodelin area fared better than the snow conditions on the NW, N, and NE aspects.  There were fewer layers in the snow on that aspect, deeper powder and few if any tree bombs.  I'm still confused by that.  But pleasantly surprised by my personal discovery of a nice skiing aspect. 

(My first descent partially shown by my crappy gps is bottom right)