Watching July go by

After 92 months of skiing every month, it's about to be over.

I have been having some back issues and am working hard including PT in order to be ready for a big caving trip on November. On any normal July it would be a short walk to a nice snow field and a couple of runs. This summer is different: about 2.5 miles walk to snow (and back of course) carrying the gear. I can't risk the potential setback.

The cave is more important the what amounts to an artificial accomplishment measured against arbitrary boundaries like a calendar month.

I can't miss out on this because I insisted on carrying skis out to Coleman Pinnacle once again: www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/22/128522...t-in-Kansas-Any-More

Still, it was geat. And thanks to many people on TAY who helped me learn a lot about being safe in the backcountry in trips up Baker, Ruth, and lots of other places.

Sorry to see it end, James. This summer will have many streak casualties I'm afraid.

Just under 50 months, my streak ended last August.

July 31 we got caught in a lightening storm just a few hundred feet up Muir snowfield. We did make turns for life on that day to find 'shelter' in the moraines. The lightening raced off the Tatoosh, struck all around us at Pan Point, froze us with hail and then rolled up the volcano. We camped in style a Ohanapecosh, ready to make good on August for such a weak July. In the August 1 morning we drove back to a fully socked in Paradise lot. We waited hours but it never lifted.

Forward to the last weekend of August. I'm chilling in Baring with my girlfriend, in the hot sun by a river with beer in hand. Perfect summer day. My mind wanders and I realize I never made August turns. There is no snow left at Steven's, not even a patch. I chose to calmly let it go. Goals are fine but you have to enjoy the present.

It felt like a weight lifted, but the monkey will be back with our amazing PNW winters and their endless summer corn...

Hope next winter is better, but according to Cliff Mass a big El Nino is setting up:

You will note that all of these forecasts are not only dry around here, but far wetter than normal in California. This is a typical El Nino pattern, especially for the strong events. And it looks like we are going to have a very strong El Nino in place this fall and winter. So strong that we are already seeing the effects of El Nino on our weather this summer (southern CA has been unusually wet the past few months and we have been unusually dry). This situation will save California, providing real relief for their multi-year drought.

Keep in mind that drier than normal for us does not mean no rain. Clouds and rain will return, but conditions should be perceptibly drier and warmer than normal this fall. Our reservoirs will get very low before the serious rains return. And I worry about next summer. Drier and warmer than normal conditions will result in another low snowpack year, although probably not as extreme as this year. Why do I say this? The warmth next year will probably not be as crazy hot as last year.

After 92 months of skiing every month, it's about to be over.

Great run, James - You go, Cave Man!  I hope this doesn't mean we have to skip OcTAYberfest - even if there's no snow, but only beer drinking and story telling.

Chuck - we were skiing the Paradise last year when that lightning storm ripped through.  Raced down through Edith Basin with our A frame Lightning rods framed over our heads.  Yahhh... good times, good times.

This is very sad but, as you note, an arbitrary goal. I intend to fight for TAY as long as I can access snow, but I don't know what my plans are for August yet---let alone September.
You may break your TAY streak but I hope the OcTAYberfest series will continue

Too bad James! I saw you at Artist Point in early June you drove off before I could say Hi. Amazing how much less snow there was there then as compared with our Coleman Pinnacle trip July 28, 2012! That summer and Fall propelled me to a 21 month streak that got terminated by a bad calendar work week at the end of August I would have had to drive several hours to Baker/Rainier/Hood or something after a gruelling end of month work ordeal and I elected to just let it pass. Skiing 8 or 9 months a year is good enough most of the time LOL! Good luck with your caving I know that means a lot to you. Theres no reason there can't be fresh snow up high in OcTAYber!

I can host ocTAYberfest if you guys want to head this way, can potentially do the hike anyway by then - PT is going well.

In other news my science fiction novel The Great Symmetry is off to a good start, and I'm really pleased about that:

www.amazon.com/The-Great-Symmetry-James-...ebook/dp/B01113RTF8/
www.chantireviews.com/2015/07/24/the-gre...fiction-thrill-ride/
www.thegreatsymmetry.com/

You are a bona fide Renaissance man, even after throwing your streak into a crevasse.
Poetry is in order:

Mr. James gave a good shot at TAY.
In caves and snow he has his way.
His back broke his streak,
But no one should feel weak---
OcTAYberfest is on its way!

Might as well contribute my sad story as well: July broke my TaAY streak, at least it's the first time I haven't skied in July in the last few years.

This season was ruthless.

That said, there's such great hiking, mountain biking, and rock climbing opportunities, that it's been easy to keep busy. I'll definitely miss getting those couple days of turns in per month this summer, but I won't be bored or idle.

Cheers to those that keep the flame alive through to '16!

Conversely, the 12 year every month roller ski streak seems to get easier with the recent winters...