Yesterday the sun was bright, but it’s been steadily below freezing since the last big storm. This is not snow I am familiar with; billions of particles that refuse to bond. If it does warm and build a crust on top? Danger of sinking will become prevalent. From what I’ve been told by many on the mountain, the solution is to maintain a track up and down, packing a base upon which you won’t sink further into.
The Jeep is parked nearly halfway down the park, at the junction of Kline and Borman. The ride down was interesting, a bit new, so the camera stayed in the bag, deciding to focus upon arrival without getting stuck. Arrival was easy, and loads of fun. I guess I left the Borman sign in the background as proof I arrived. Eight inches of snow there, compared to the three feet on the ground at home.
The way home will always be more challenging, being several hundreds of feet of elevation gain from Borman and Kline (it’s a four hundred foot climb simply from the Ortega’s cabin), but there was still time for photography.
The drifts are deep and daily active in places. Moon Bug didn’t seem to care.
Heading back up Schierl now, past the Geiser Cabin.
Now the steepest part of Schierl, just below the Mitchell Cabin, where the sun barely shines this time of year. The walls are quite deep, but this shows how likely one may be to sink into a crust were there no tracks packed beneath.
But Moon Bug is a treat to ride around in. I feel safe. I feel in control of the vehicle. Its tracks actually prefer power to hard pack and she moves quite well.
A small storm predicted for tomorrow (let us see how many factors we must multiply this one by), but I hope to venture out over the weekend for fresh produce and eggs.