The best December of skiing I can recall in town had to come to an end. It happened in a classic fashion when it got warm enough to soften the snow, followed by a deep freeze to give us two weeks of frozen footprints. It was a good opportunity to get out and do some trail work that didn't get done before the early snow.
I don't think I've ever waited until January before I had to drive out to Caroline to find skiable snow. Gail and I went out a couple times.
After a brief spell of bare ground, this crazy storm put us back in good shape with enough fluffy snow to get back to the local trails.
Wipe out on the pond. Hurt my elbow by falling from a standstill. Nice conditions though.
The cold has persisted, and Fall Creek backed up behind the ice. I alerted the authorities and they put up the chain alerting visitors to dangerous conditions. A couple days later I stepped over the chain and stepped through snow that had filled a chasm and got a wet foot.
But I got a good picture. And I have a spare set of shoes at work so didn't have to wear a wet shoe and sock the whole day.
At last, I got to Treman State Park and skied the Rim Trail (and a little creek skiing). It's as sweet as I'd hoped it would be, but I lost the fob to the car so it's costing me almost $400.
Keep in mind, as an out-and-back ski, it's up hill both ways. And down hill both ways...
All the way from Buffalo, Amy spent a night with us and I got to show off the forest of Six Mile Creek to a professional land assessor, and someone with a couple more years of skiing experience than me. She questioned the sensibility of the trail to see this white oak and another on the just out of the picture. It's the turnaround spot and we didn't go down over the steep edge. I like to check to make sure they are still somewhat vertical, someday the rock anchoring them is going to let go.
One more post about lake-effect. While Lake Erie might be frozen and not producing any more this season, to the great relief of those from Cleveland to Buffalo, Lake Huron is still open and produced this band one morning. Pittsburgh is not known for its lake-effect storms.
We finally got enough fresh snow on top of the extensive ice cover on the creeks for creek skiing. Not a single cliff jumper in sight.
This mess calls for a reroute of a trail. I wasn't there when it happened, but I think eight trees falling in the woods makes a sound.
Meanwhile, in Southern California, Matt, Jenica and the kids are getting out on their bikes as much as I've gotten out on my skis. Maybe I should get a helmet...
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