December 1, 2005, Baker

Jill and I drove to Baker Wednesday afternoon after canceling our trip to Crystal - I'll live with that error for awhile. ???  Drove the van into the deserted upper parking lot at Baker under clear skies with fresh powder hanging from the trees.  On Thursday morning,we delayed our departure until enough skiers layed in a groomed skin track towards Table Mt.  The sky was overcast and the next weather system was approaching in the distance.  Like the calm before the storm.  

When we arrived at the chutes descending to the lake, we saw a couple of trailbreakers had descended before us and provided slough management and debris location.  As we pulled the skins, the wind picked up and light flurries began.  Thanks to our "scouts", we descended the knee deep fluff down the chute to the tree ridges and down to the lakes.  Conditions were stable. The limited sloughing that the scouts initiated was normal for the short exposed rockband.  We made numerous runs along the treed ridges which provided the necessary visibility for the flat light conditions.  We returned to the van just as the light faded and turned the furnace on and started consuming some Moosehead ale before dinner. We plan to ride the lifts on Friday and get a couple of senior lift tickets. :)

Zap & Jill