April 30 - May 1, Mt. McCausland - Smith Brook Rd.

One advantage of going back to the same places year after year is that if one's memory is sufficiently poor, they seem fresh each time. So it was Smith Brook Road - Mt. McCausland this week. Skiing in was somewhat of a pain; 2 inches new on top of rotten older snow. All of that recent cold weather and late snow has left the snow rather immature. Teenage perhaps.  By evening it was snowing and blowing, but by the time it tapered off  there was 8 inches of new where I was camped at ~4500 feet.

It cooled down to 23 degrees overnight, and when I started up in the morning it was mostly cloudy with the cloud layer obscuring Lichtenberg and McCausland. This was good, as the run I like off  McCausland faces directly into the morning sun. By the time I got to the top (about 9 am) the fog was just starting to thin. See pic 1.  Need I say the skiing was *excellent*? Totally something or other. See pic 2. By 9:30 the sun was out and the nice new snow was shot, but by then I was back at the tent having a nice nap. The highlight of any trip for me; a pleasant nap.

I was a bit surprised that the slope shown in pic 3 had not slid yet - just some glide cracks showing as of now. It's a smooth rock surface  that slides every spring presumably when water lubricates the bed surface.

By 1 pm or so when I was skiing out, the snow was really rotten on aspects that faced the sun. Mid calf slush sort of rotten. With this in mind, I'm trying to figure out where to go next week. Well east of the crest seems like the best bet for now.

Larry