It is during this kind of season that I get impatient for snow. It seems we have been tempted by an early snow fall into thinking this would be a great season of skiing. In early November, a deluge of snow hit the Cascades, loading the slopes with 6-10 feet of snow. This has been followed by nearly 6 weeks of cold temperatures and sun, creating less than ideal conditions in the backcountry.
In the Methow, where we have sought refuge from the city and access to the high country in the winter, the meager early snow fall has stayed on the ground but the 4 inches that covers our place is no where near the 2-3 feet we usually have by Christmas. The days of skiing out the back door to nearby Lewis Butte for some great touring are memories from past seasons and not a part of our current reality. Fortunately, there has been just enough snow to cover the roads and tracks that make up the a good portion of cross-country skiing system in the valley.
So we wait. For fresh snow, hopefully of significant volume to truly cover the landscape out here before spring comes and during times we can actually be here. Patience is required - to wait for the snow and wait for the chance to get away to the mountains. Patience is also needed for the time when Peg and I can be here full time, to pick and choose the time to explore the backcountry on our own time schedule. Someday that will come.
