Home for Thanksgiving

This last leg was a fitting finale to the road trip that started three months earlier in Canada.  It began with a quick sunset excursion to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison and day at Mesa Verde exploring the ancient Pueblo ruins.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde

A visit to this area wouldn't be complete without stop at Four Corners to support the native indian tribe ($5 apiece to stand on bronze disk) and a visit to Monument Valley where it costs another $5 to capture that classic John Wayne photo.

Four Corners

Monument Valley

From there we met up with a friend and stepped away from the tourist traps and deep into canyon country.  Miles of 4WD road (thanks to Eric for providing transportation) will take you to some of the most surreal landscapes in North America.

Coyote Buttes

With a few days to spare we ended at one of my favorite parks, Zion.  We could have spent a month here but with limited time we had to cram in some of the top spots.  We had several good hikes such as the Angels Landing classic (a very exposed knife edge ridge that leads to an overlook of the valley) and an overnight into the unpopulated country behind the checkerboard mesa.

Angel's Landing, Zion

Zion Backcountry

As we turned north it was apparent that we'd lingered just a little to long.  Snow had come, even to the southwest and the drive was a little sketchy.  The van held her course despite snow, slush and high winds and we almost made the push in one day if it hadn't been for one final blizzard 3 hours from Richland.  We simply pulled over, popped the top and slept until the plows had the road cleared the next morning.  Then it was off the Richland and Hood River for repacking and family time. 

Settling in for Winter

With our decision made it was time to shift gears and make the necessary preparations for winter.  The first priority in this valley is to find housing.  Every local we talked to warned us of the affordable housing shortage so we set to work on finding a roof with four walls.

It turns out we had arrived at an ideal time.  We were in the shoulder season and town was mostly quiet.  The new crop of seasonal employees hadn't arrived yet because the mountain wouldn't open for another few weeks.  Our housing choices were not overwhelming but we were able to weed out the real dives and select a nice condo on the mountain.  It's a typical rental ski condo, fully furnished in a crappy 1970's decor, a stones throw from the lift and a partial view of the mountains around.  We could have stayed in town but our goal is to ski a lot this year and so the closer we are to a chairlift the better.

With warm accommodation secured we channeled energy into employment.  The vacation fund was dangerously low and we knew breaking even for the winter was the key to staying out of debt.  We each poked around our areas of previous professional employment but the engineering firms in town were not interested in seasonal work and Laurel didn't find good fit for her nursing background.  Plan B was the ski school.  With my previous experience they welcomed me with open arms and promised a minimum number of hours.  It wouldn't be much compared to prior salaries but it was stable work.  Laurel was also able to secure a position at the ski school.  The pay for both of us is variable, based on student numbers, return students and other factors, so we will just have to hope the financials balance.

In addition to on-hill employment we are both also working remote work options with prior employers from Seattle.  If we are successful it would be the ideal situation because we'd be living the mountain life but earning city salaries.  It is a big question mark because neither of our former employers has committed to anything yet but we are both making a big push to get them on-board.

Everything in Crested Butte was now lined up as well as could be expected for early November.  We had one final item to deal with; all of our winter gear was in Hood River.  This meant one more long road trip to end the season.  After a minor mechanical delay, the van decided it didn't like the negative temps and we had the water pump and seals replaced, we headed back in the general direction of the Northwest.

Knowing that the mountain wouldn't open for another few weeks we opted for the scenic route home.  This would get us one final dose of warmer desert weather before the long winter and aquatint us with some of the lesser known attractions south west of our new home.

Searching for Home

In early October our adventure went through sharp transition.  The signs were everywhere, winter was coming.  Life in the van and on the trail was going  to get real cold very soon.  Initially I thought we'd spend a leisurely month exploring Colorado and down into New Mexico looking for places to live eventually settling in sometime in late November.  It was obvious that the time to pick a ski town was sooner that later.  If we waited too long not only would we be spending some very cold nights at 10,000 feet but all the good jobs and places to live would be snatched up.

We rolled into Wellington to visit Gavin & Sheila at their new house. Wellington was sunny and warm and we just moseyed  around town exploring good places to eat and the pumpkin patch.  Their new house is incredible and we had lots of time to visit and prepare for the next phase of the journey.

I'd been working on a list since summer so we had some idea of where to start but there are just so many good options deciding on the one would be difficult.  Fortunately, several friends we would visit while in Colorado were not shy about advice or opinions on the best place to spend the winter.  Among the top candidates were - Wolf Creek, Carbondale (Aspen), Crested Butte, Telluride, Taos, Jackson and Squaw.

After Wellington we made a few stops in the Boulder/Nederland area, not because Boulder is high on the list, the Front Range seems too crowded, but that's where many of our friends are.  We were treated to some amazing hiking, free mountain biking (thanks Dale & Staci), a little town action in Boulder and lots of hospitality from everyone we were able to meet - Thank you all!  Despite the dense population in the area I was very impressed with all the cool stuff going on.  If someday we need to move back to a bigger city Boulder will certainly be on the list of candidates.

Front Range Hiking

The next consideration was Carbondale with Aspen close by.  Charlie & Elizabeth were very generous to host us for several days and show us all the great parts of their town.  It's a low key small town with great mtb riding nearby, hot springs on the river, beautiful mountains all around, 4 world class fly-fishing rivers and of course Aspen.  It was hard not to plant ourselves right then but gut instinct said, keep looking.

Charlie ripping Red Hill

As we crossed Kebler Pass through the largest aspen grove in Colorado (considered to be a single organism, one of the largest in the world) we were were back on familiar ground - dirt roads winding slowly through amazing mountain scenery with limitless opportunities to stop and explore.  We woke up in a campground near Crested Butte to fresh flakes.  As we went into town and flakes continued to fall both of us knew this could be a sign.

Fist Snow in Crested Butte

It took us a while to make the decision because there were still a number of places high on the list we hadn't explored.  Wolf Creek gets incredible snow, more than any resort in Colorado.  Telluride has amazing terrain and a cool town.  Taos is supposed to be in the El Nino path this year.  But we were starting to feel pressure.  Rooms were being rented quickly.  Hiring for the season was nearing a close.  Snowfall was beginning to pile up.

We spent some time exploring town, talking to friends, looking at available housing and everything was in our favor.  The mountain looks like a play ground!  One third of the terrain is designated "extreme limits" which just shouts adventure skiing.  I'm sure there will be "crowded" days but nothing compared to Alpy on a pow morning.  Snowfall was a big question mark (300in annual) but the El Nino forecast is promising for this area and locals claim the backcountry gets significantly more snow because Mt. CB is actually in a rain shadow.  Housing was available and affordable.  We may need to bring in a roommate to keep expenses low but we are far from the 10 person houses I lived at during college.  Ski town jobs seem to be in good supply.  We just need to seek out the ones that have higher pay.  The town is small and quaint.  We are already running into people we've met at different places.  We have some local connections here, friends from past adventures.  And the valley is full of opportunities - limitless backountry, nordic in town, a plethora of rivers, biking here & down valley (where it's warmer) and countless other activities.

Our new home

The details go on and on but that's the sum of factors that influenced our final decision.  As for the others on the list,  well, I can justify each; Wolf Cr. - mountain is far from town & somewhat flat, Telluride is expensive, Squaw will be a mad house, Taos has limited BC and so on.  Could there be a better place for us?  Maybe.  But I'll bet it's like most things, not better just different.  We will be very happy here in Crested Butte.

Mt. CB

Off the Beaten Path in Wyoming & Utah

It was late September and we'd been on the road for almost a month.  We hiked over 150 miles and drove many more exploring Canada and into Idaho.  I can count the number of showers between the two of us on one hand.  We'd only splurged on a hotel once in that time despite all the wet weather and that was for our anniversary.  It was time for some much needed travelers rest.  A timeshare was available in Bear Lake, UT, thanks to Mom, and we headed south.  It's not the most exciting spot but all we really wanted to do was nothing.  It was perfect for that.

It was also the perfect staging point for the next adventure.  It's hard to believe but my feet have walked this earth for 40 years now.  A major milestone like that deserves some sort of celebration or event or festival.  Getting drunk with a bunch of hunters, the only other people in the woods right now, was not my idea of a grand celebration.  I needed something with more meaning.  I felt the need to prove I wasn't old yet.

Route to Kings

The idea of hiking 40k on my birthday had been growing in my mind for awhile.  Utah had the ideal objective.  13+ miles to the top, enough to cover the 40k and the highest point in the state at 13,512ft - Kings Peak.  The perfect spot for my little mission.

Kings Peak - Half Way Home

I would do this one solo.  Laurel could have done it but the pseudo-masochistic nature of this climb isn't something she was very excited about.  I started early and completed the climb in under 12 hours.  The 6k of vert. along with a couple miles of lose rock slowed things down significantly but overall I felt pretty good at the end.  And as if 40k wasn't enough I finished up with another 40, a 40 of Bud, the only 40 available in Mountain View Wyoming.  Sore legs and a belly full of beer were a happy way to enter my 40th year.

Another 40

From Kings Peak we slowly made our way East.  The (damned) Flaming Gorge is a place we'd never been before but the descriptions from Powell's expeditions peaked our interest.   We were treated to brilliant sunrises and plentiful wildlife.  Deer & sheep roam the plateau above the gorge, Kokanee spawn in the side creeks and we even saw a badger waddling through the pine forest.

Sheep Above Flaming Gorge

Following the Green below the (damn) dam the water quickly turned muddy with streams swollen from rain.  This made for poor fishing but our camp was amazing.  The only inhabitants of the campground were cute rabbits and some amazing Juniper trees.

Bumping from the Green to the Little Snake we followed it downstream to the Yampa.  The Yampa enters Dinosaur National Monument through a gateway similar to the Gates of Lodore but without the cool name.  Access to the canyon was cut off by steep cliff and so we settled for a short hike and moved on toward Steamboat.

Yampa on it's way into Dinosaur

To keep with our philosophy of exploring new places, instead of the direct route through Steamboat, we struck north into Wyoming. There are a few tiny splotches of green on the map just north of the Colorado boarder but we discovered they held a little known wilderness area (Huston Wilderness) and a small but amazing set of peaks and lakes - the Snowy Range.

Snowy Range

Cutthroat at 12,000ft

Sawtooths, Exploration by Moonlight

The plan on this trip was to explore new places.  We specifically chose a path that would take us into parts of North America we hadn't seen yet.  Our fishing trip was a slight deviation from that plan.  It is familiar country to me but we accepted some retracing because Laurel hadn't been there and the hot springs exploration made for new discoveries.

Staring at the Sawtooth Mountains from Stanley with fair weather in the forecast it was hard to resist the urge not to cross old ground again.  The pull of these mountains is too great and we signed up for a few more nights among the jagged peaks, via an unexplored route, or so we thought.

On our way to the trailhead, headed south on 75 with full supplies and the Sawtooth Mountains backlit by the evening sun we arrived at an historic moment.  Our trusty steed rolled 150,000 miles.  I can't say enough good things about her or thank my parents enough for loaning her to us.  She has been a rock solid base camp on many adventures and I'm sure she will continue to be with us for many more.

150,000 Miles

The next morning as we walked up the valley from Yellowbelly Lake things started to look familiar.  I saw views that I recall from the past.  The trail had a familiar feel to it.  Even the trees looked like we'd seem them before.  So maybe I'm getting old and forgetful or maybe I didn't pay enough attention the last time but it felt like we were retracing old footsteps.  At the top of Sand Mountain Pass we were sure of it.  An old stump on the pass made a good picture spot and past photos confirmed we had the same thought the last time.

Sand Mountain Pass - 2015

Sand Mountain Pass - 2010

From that point we selected a new route.  A route that would take us deeper into the range.  Now we were on new ground.

For 3 days we explored new lakes and peaks under a full moon.  For 3 days we didn't see another soul.  I consider that to be a special experience.  There are not many places in the continental US where you can be totally separated from other humans for days at a time.  And yes, someday we will go back even if there's some retracing involved.

Edith Under a Full Moon

Below Glens Peak

Hot Springs, Cold Fish, No Rings

So we'd been in Canada for over 2 weeks.  We visited Kokanee Provincial Park, Bugaboo Provincial Park, Mt Assiniboine Provincial Park, Mt. Revelstoke National Park, Kootenay National Park, Glacier National Park, Nelson, Revelstoke, Kaslo, Golden, Radium.  We even splurged on a night at Fairmont Hot Springs.  It was amazing!  But we couldn't deny that the weather was wet.  Wet and cold for most of that time.  It was time to head south and seek out sunshine and warmer conditions.  What better place than Idaho, which is always sunny and littered with hot springs!

Well, almost always sunny.  As we drove into Stanley the peaks were covered in snow and the clouds hung low.  So much for alpine hiking.  Fortunately, our next destination was in the bottom of a valley and we held onto hope that the clouds would lift.  I also had a secret weapon tucked in my back pocket.  Our next destination would be a base camp and it included the perfect soaking pool right alongside the river.

Every time I come to Idaho I become more enamored with this place.  Past trips have included hiking and fishing.  It's really the fishing that I come back for.  I just can't resist those beautiful Westslope Cutthroat.  This time I can add another reason to why I love Idaho - the hot water.

Our fishing trip didn't turn out to be epic as I'd hoped for.  The cold weather put the fish in a slump and it took a bit of work to get them out of hiding.  We did catch fish and some very nice ones but they were not the voracious eaters I'm used to in this part of the country. The hot springs on the other hand were just perfect, a great temperature for lounging and we even had them to ourselves a few times.

I wish it would have ended there but this story has a sad ending.  On our last morning beside the river, slightly upstream of our epic basecamp, we lost something.  Laurel had placed her wedding rings (attached to a silver chain) into the tent pocket.  While we packed up they never made it back to her neck.  They were shaken out of the tent onto the beach. We must have missed them in the final sweep of camp.

We believe they have been picked up by rafters because this beach is normal scouting location for Sulfur Slide rapid just below.  We were back to the camp within hours and turned over every stone but found nothing.  So if you know any rafters with a new set of rings please have them contact us.  There's a certain young lady that would very much like to have them back.

Canadian Adventure (Part 3) - In the Shadow of the Bear

I am not fearful of most things in the woods.  I know that spiders, snakes and other critters are there but I don't worry about them.  I know how to manage the dangers of avalanches and moving water so I'm not terrified of them.  The Grizzly Bear is different.  I have an unsubstantiated raw animal fear that one will leap out of the bushes and gnaw me to pieces, or worse eat me in my sleeping bag.

We'd been on the road for about 2 weeks but hadn't left the comfort and hard sides of the van too far behind.  Day hikes are a good warm up but I know that to experience a place you really need to be present in that place.  That means spending the night there.  That means sleeping in bear country.  Canadian bear country where Grizzlies are common and encounters frequent.

The Rockwall trail in Glacier NP traverses below a prominent ridge of towering cliffs and peaks.  You can spend 4-5 days walking along it.  It's spectacular from beginning to end.  It was a place Laurel and I both wanted to experience.  The only problem was I didn't want to make the conscious decision to sleep bear country with nothing but ultra-light nylon between me an the beast.  So I left the decision up to her.

So be it, we were going deep into Grizzlies' layer.

Have you ever thought about how close to death you are every time you drive a winding road at night.  As little as 3 feet separates you from tons of oncoming steel with a closing speed of 120 mph.  That's scary.  But we don't give it a second thought, right?  Maybe because it's so common.  Maybe because statistics tell us we'll probably be okay.  Maybe the destination is worth the risk.  None of this reasoning seemed to help when the rangers told us about the fresh Grizzly track just above our first camp.....

We passed the first night without being eaten.  And then the second.  The designated camps were full of people and the risk of an encounter seemed to be low.  Soon the rain let up and we began to experience the Rockwall and the destination became worth the risk.  Thoughts of the bear were overcome by the beauty around us.

On the last day of our traverse the weather had finally broken.  We didn't want to miss out on the opportunity of fair skies in the high country.  Feeling bold from not being eaten on the Rockwall we signed up for something bigger.  We'd enter Mt Assiniboine provincial park from a remote entrance.  One because it was the closest entrance and two because the hike in promised to be spectacular as it crossed to high passes.

This of course meant we'd enter bear country again.  This time it was much more remote.  We were the only car at the trailhead and we didn't see a soul until we had walked 10 miles into the heart of the park.  Passing this sign on the way in reminded us we were visitors and we did everything we could to avoid an encounter.  Loud noise the whole way and of course bear spray at the ready.

In the end we completed our hikes and only saw one bear, a very comfortable distance away.  We only saw a few tracks and diggings.  We heard reports from several people about sightings and we knew they may have been hiding only a few hundred feet from us.  But what we came to see made every anxious heartbeat worth it.

Will I travel in Grizzly country again?  Yes, of course.  Will I ever be as comfortable as driving down a country road late at night?  Probably not.  But there are too many great things in the north country that cannot be missed just because I'm a little scared of a fuzzy wuzzy bear.

Canadian Adventure (Part 2) - Illecillewaet Glacier

During the next few days we would learn that "the forecast" in Canada was just something they post to entertain the tourists.  Their forecast actually has no relationship at all to the weather that will take place.  Every time we checked the weather it would say, "two days of wet, then clearing".  It was the same for a week and a half.  That elusive sun was always just 2 days away.  When I asked one ranger about what weather was coming he simply said, "Look up, you can't get much better than that."

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not complaining.  Hiking among shifting cloud was incredible.  Much more dynamic than hot days of high pressure with full sun.  And even with the high levels of precipitation we did find some better breaks.  We hit one in particularly good window that would keep us inspired for awhile.  The day broke clear and we had a good hike planned.   A little chance encounter shifted our plans and a good day turned into a great one.

We don’t normally seek out company but there were bear restrictions in effect for most of Glacier NP.  The park requires that all hikers go in groups of four or more to reduce the risk of bear encounters in certain areas.  Janek & Zoa, a local couple we bumped into at the ranger station, proposed a more interesting hike, a hike in bear country, a hike to the Illecillewaet Glacier.  We gladly accepted.

When we reached the normal terminus of our selected trail Janek made a suggestion – “We could go check out the glacier toe?”  Janek is a geologist with experience in this area and his plan was to go cross country to the glacier snout and return by another trail making a loop out of the hike.  After a good bit of cross-country scrambling and some route finding we had made it to the foot of the glacier.  As you can imagine this was a special powerful place.

Zoa, Janek & Laurel

It was the first good weather of the trip.  We only were spit on once during the day and with the positive vibes under our belt we were ready to tackle something bigger.

The Faithful Chico