Jan 10-11, 2006, Sasse Ridge

This was one of those trips where the little tricks count. It was snowing hard skinning up to my campsite, and not that cold. With all the gear I need for the expected cold night, the pack ends up way over any recommended pack to body weight ratio.  :D  This means a lot of sweat, and a lot of damp to wet clothing that must be bone dry by evening. There is no way anything is going to dry out in the morning, and any moisture just sucks heat right out of your body when you get out of the tent and get ready to ski.

The snow was nice however; 3 or 4 inches new on a hard base, the latter thanks to the weather on Sunday.
Low for the night was 7 degrees, 11 degrees by the time I started up from the tent around 6:30 am.  One little thing I've found that nicely extends the temp range of a sleeping bag is to carry piece of heavyweight Thinsulate to put under the bag. Mine only weighs 5 oz.  Thinsulate is available at Seattle Fabrics by the way.

There was just a trace of new overnight, but 4 inches new on a hard base is hard to beat! Here's a pic of the early morning light on the Cascade Crest, looking across the 'upper bowl' at the headwaters of the East Fork Teanaway River. Each week, I'm thankful that I'm simply able to see sights like this, and I try to remember that how strong or weak I am, or how well or poorly I ski is not really that important.

Larry