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Roald Member
Joined: 06 Aug 2007 Posts: 367 | TRs | Pics Location: Seattle |
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Roald
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Sun Mar 22, 2009 8:09 pm
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Buck Mt. from Trinity
Some outdoor sounds are intrinsically pleasing: a stream dancing over rocks, wind rustling the leaves. Edward O. Wilson’s biophilia hypothesis provides an explanation for why we like these sounds. But our interaction with the outdoors also produces some satisfying sounds: the crunch of a boot in solid snow, a carabiner’s “click” in a difficult placement. One of the best human-made sounds in the outdoors, however, is the swoosh of a ski on snow in prime condition.
Rob and I were the only ones willing to get up early for this year’s final ski to Trinity (although two others came later). We drove up to the Fish Lake sno-park at 5:45 a.m. and saw that, as promised, Ike had groomed the route – this weekend marked the last grooming of the year. The temperature was 27 degrees when we started skiing at 6:00 am, and the virgin corduroy had set up icy and fast. Stars sprinkled overhead and a crescent moon hung like a stage prop to the south. We headed north, however, toward Casseopeia, to the steady swoosh… swoosh… of skis gliding perfectly.
I was in Europe last month where the World Cup ski races were in the news. The nordic races got a lot of air time, with television repeatedly showing the men’s 50 km race in which a Norwegian (who else?) pulled away from a tight field to take the gold. I have always thought that nordic skiing was not terribly popular in Washington state because it is too difficult – too difficult to get to good areas and too difficult to do. A few weeks ago the Seattle Times even quoted someone as saying that, “nordic skiing is generally viewed as the most challenging of all Olympic sports.” Whether or not that is true, skiing is a workout.
Sometimes, however, when the snow is just right, it is not too much of a workout. Yesterday was like that. We stopped to gaze at morning sunlight creeping into the Chiwawa valley, snapped photos, and listen to Rock Creek.
Rock Creek Old Gib Mt.? from Rock Creek Rock Creek bridge
We still got to Trinity at 8:22 a.m. Last year I posted a TR about skiing to Trinity under snowy skies. This time it was blue sky all around:
View from Trinity Greg's welcoming - skiing and coffee Greg and Rob at Trinity
Fast gliding:
Greg, the caretaker at Trinity, says that it is 23.2 miles to Trinity. (Or 23.6 - I forget. Either way, that is a little more than what I had thought.) So, even with a few gawking and nibbling stops, we averaged about 10 mph.
After nearly an hour of drinking Greg’s coffee and soaking up his hospitality, we slapped on the skis and headed back down the valley. On the way back we did not have to reserve energy, and we had a net loss of elevation, so the skis swooshed along even faster. We returned to the car at 11:28 am, for an average speed, with stops, of 10.9 mph on the return. I estimate that, net of stops, we skied maybe 4 hours for the day, averaging nearly 12 mph while skiing. This is cheating, I know, because the stops helped us refuel and rest. But that provides a rough idea of the speed of movement that good snow affords. I can keep going, but I am not a fast skier, so this is not about how fast my particular skiing was – rather, the conditions were just that good. Maybe one reason that the swoosh of skis on good snow is such a pleasing sound is that it is sheer fun.
Chiwawa River in winter Rob and the Chiwawa River Jon at Atkinson Flats
Stats:
Distance: 46.4 miles round trip
Elevation gain: Net gain 1200 feet to Trinity, ~ 2000 feet with ups and downs
Time: Car-to-car 5.5 hours, including 1 hr in Trinity
Mode: Skate skis on groomed snowmobile trails (as usual this year, no snowmobiles until about 11 am)
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Tom_Sjolseth Born Yesterday
Joined: 30 May 2007 Posts: 2652 | TRs | Pics Location: Right here. |
Right on, that's a jaunt! I see from the photos that you guys are wearing fancy lightweight skis. How much would a pair of AT skis slow you down while skating? I'm just curious how much of a difference your skis make.
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Matt Tea, Earl Grey, Hot
Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 4307 | TRs | Pics Location: Shoreline |
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Matt
Tea, Earl Grey, Hot
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Sun Mar 22, 2009 11:32 pm
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That's a lotta miles.
Glad you were able to enjoy such good conditions.
“As beacons mountains burned at evening.” J.R.R. Tolkien
“As beacons mountains burned at evening.” J.R.R. Tolkien
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Get Out and Go Member
Joined: 13 Nov 2004 Posts: 2127 | TRs | Pics Location: Leavenworth |
Old Gib Mt.? from Rock Creek
Looks like Estes Butte. Great job! I wish I could knock off that many miles..Well, maybe I could but I would still be out there.
"These are the places you will find me hiding'...These are the places I will always go."
(Down in the Valley by The Head and The Heart)
"Sometimes you're happy. Sometimes you cry.
Half of me is ocean. Half of me is sky."
(Thanks, Tom Petty)
"These are the places you will find me hiding'...These are the places I will always go."
(Down in the Valley by The Head and The Heart)
"Sometimes you're happy. Sometimes you cry.
Half of me is ocean. Half of me is sky."
(Thanks, Tom Petty)
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Roald Member
Joined: 06 Aug 2007 Posts: 367 | TRs | Pics Location: Seattle |
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Roald
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Mon Mar 23, 2009 8:58 am
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Tom, those are skate skis. AT gear would be too clunky to enjoy on these trails - unless you use these trails to access the backcountry. Some people ski these areas with normal ("classic") cross-country touring skis. But the groomed snowmobile trails are best suited for skate skis. As I point out here, the State of Washington has a $3.6 million budget for snowmobile grooming, but only $188,000 for x-country ski areas. So it is nice to be able to enjoy some of the more extensive grooming and longer distances of the snowmobile routes.
Iron, at some sno-park areas, including Fish Lake, you can ski until about 11 am without seeing any snowmobiles, especially during the week. Even though it was a Saturday, we did not see any until about 11. But the trail is wide and most snowmobilers are friendly. It's like riding your bicycle on a road on which only a few cars show up - and always later in the day.
Greg, the caretaker at Trinity, posted about our visit here. He calls his blog "Paradise Found."
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wildernessed viewbagger
Joined: 31 Oct 2004 Posts: 9275 | TRs | Pics Location: Wenatchee |
Nice, the mountain views and pristine backcountry were probably sweet. My wife started xc skiing this year, I may have to jump in next year. I thought you might have snagged the Justus route up Buck while you were there.
Living in the Anthropocene
Living in the Anthropocene
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Roald Member
Joined: 06 Aug 2007 Posts: 367 | TRs | Pics Location: Seattle |
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Roald
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Mon Mar 23, 2009 3:12 pm
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Get Out and Go wrote: | Old Gib Mt.? from Rock Creek
Looks like Estes Butte. Great job! I wish I could knock off that many miles..Well, maybe I could but I would still be out there. |
Yes, Estes Butte! Thanks.
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peltoms Member
Joined: 13 Jul 2006 Posts: 1760 | TRs | Pics Location: Worcester MA |
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peltoms
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Mon Mar 23, 2009 3:19 pm
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great ski you were both Norwegian for the day. That was a fast ski, not a racing fast, but fast.
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Roald Member
Joined: 06 Aug 2007 Posts: 367 | TRs | Pics Location: Seattle |
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Roald
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Mon Mar 23, 2009 10:53 pm
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peltoms wrote: | ... not a racing fast... |
Yeah, Peltoms, rub it in.
As it was, I was holding Rob back, and the two guys behind us, Bart and Todd, made it to Trinity faster than us. Hey, someone has to hold up the slow end.
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