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March 5, 2015, CD, Front Range, Colorado

3/5/15
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Posted by MW88888888 on 3/5/15 2:27pm
Day 33
Continental Divide, Front Range, Colorado
March 5, 2015

I skied in my nice black suit in windboard powder under the moonlight this evening. 

Well, half my suit and not by design, of course.  Certainly indicative of an irritating personal foible, my habit of leaving something behind at the house on just about every trip. Boots, ski poles, skis, snowboard...it's all been done.  At least three times each. 

As I ate my drive-thru McDonald's hamburger on the drive up, speaking to my wife and kids through my car's blue tooth - it hit me.  I don't have my boots.  Or pants. 

Lesser men would have turned around, and probably wouldn't be eating hamburgers before a hike up a mountain in the moonlight.  But be that as it may, I had one thing going for me - it had snowed the night before so downtown Denver was a mess of snow, and my banker meeting in the morning was accomplished in serious Jos A Bank threads and a fine pair of leather chukkas.

In my seat I looked down through the steering wheel at my flimsy gumshoe chukkas. Rubbed my tailored legs, smooth and black.  I grinned.  They would have to do.

"Yeah, girls, I should be home by 11."

I didn't tell them about the pants.

Or the boots.

***

In the upper bowl Orion shone above in all its glory, a light misty cloud just south of the blazing moon, streaking across the sky like a close-in milky way, accentuating the brilliance of the moonlight.

I could take no more.

The wind howled over the crest, the snow obviously a hammered mess and getting worse up higher.  Wild spindrifts sailed down the slope, assailing my face and ill prepared body.

I couldn't feel my toes anymore.  I had cinched my snowshoes around my chukkas way tighter then factory specs, and fused the laces of the chukkas, but the spindrift kept getting into the space around my ankles, and my silk stockings were soaked.  And bitter cold.  It was time to go down. 

Just past 9:15 on this splendid night, the city scape just visible along the plains at the horizon 6,000 feet below.  Hubris aside, the night sky made the effort worth the nut, the sweat and hour and a half of headspace the interest. 

***

The snowboard down was very demanding.

Like surfing, I needed to weight my full foot on the board for any chance of leverage, and the windboard snow made that somewhat impossible.

Trap-crust windboard and quagmire wind drift all made that much more challenging in the dark.

I was very glad I had brought two flashlights.

***

Holy crap that ride home was warm and cozy.
I love your trip report.  You made it. When you arrived at home, did your wife say “are you crazy” or “great job, can you take me and the kids on the next one”. 

Hi Zap - She already knows I'm crazy, and there really was no need to remind her of what an idiot I am.

I hope she doesn't read TAY....


The latest craze in snowboarding?  You bet!  All the splitboarders are doing it!

It's like revisionist history, with vintage splitboard gear from yesteryear!

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march-5-2015-cd-front-range-colorado
MW88888888
2015-03-05 22:27:07