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I made it home (almost...driveway is a four (4) foot deep snow drift) Thursday evening, after staying the night with Uncle Mike and Aunt Deb...that's Honey's Uncle and my occasional neighbor. Step-sister Jib wasn't so psyced to see Honey. Guess it was good that we didn't stay too long!

Ten Thousand Thanks to all the friends and foes that put me up along the trail. It would not have been as fun of a trip without you all. Ben, Bill, Koda, Joe, Solomon, Graham and Kristi, Ilan, and Honey's relatives! Oh, and the kind folks that gave me a ride into Wendover, NV, upon losing the gas game. I almost lost hope as the sun was setting. That must have created some strong sympathy fora family with a full car that made room for my OJ bottle of gas and grubby hands.

Craigslist rideshare was a hit. I was a bit nervous about picking up somebody I had never met, except via e-mail and telephone, but it turned out to be something akin to a soul connection, to say the least! To show up in Lawrence, KS and meet another sweet human, play rockin' music together before slumbering into some vynil from The Band. many thanks for the couch and directions to the nearest espresso bar! I must say that Kansas has a lot more meaning to me now. Not just endless fields of GMO grains and predatory beautiful birds: KU seemed like a very hip town and my hosts were certainly right up my alley. Keep it up dudes, start that band and play your hearts out!

The snow in WV is in more quantity than anywhere else I had been on the trip. No sh-lies, CO, WYo, CA, UT, none of these big name destinations came close to the mighty mounds of fluff that so thickly coated every damn object in town and all around. Needless to say, the skiing ought to be good, no--phreakin' amazing, for a few more days,  for a week or more! At least the report says so....

So, I must go. There is work to be done...but to be sure, there is fun to be had as well.

Be well all, and don't forget...____________!

At Least Go East

Ah yesh, Honey is at it again...Bear Lake, UT.

My Tahost, Graham, totally ripped it on the ol' Trolls. Best $5 ever spent...

I lived in CA for nearly a year over half a decade ago, and one thing that always struck me about the NorCal area were the trees. Whether it is the gigantic Ponderosa and Lodgepole pines, sequoias and redwoods, or the vibrant and smooth Pacific madrones, this place feels good and the forests are fine.

A lot of the forests catch on fire here. It's pretty darn dry, so don't flick your hot butts. The tree below (is it a sequoia?) has some battle wounds but has not been turned to total toast.

Destruction is natural.

See how little Honey is next to that giant...

It's not lipstick...Yes, people, rednecks exist damn near everywhere.

And so do small amphibians, like this Red-Bellied Newt. We saw many of them out walkin' in the rain near Ukiah. Turns out these guys have a deadly neurotoxin that they can use to kill...not sure how that works but nobody was hurt...

Papa Jay and Solo Man. Great Kid; Dad...not so much.

Just joking.

Hey, my old massage therapy pal has been getting some press. Go Gibran!

Some simpler cross country skiing put a good break between car time. Lake Tahoe is bubbling with lake-town energy. Late night bowling and skiing almost anywhere...nice. It's insanely crowded on the roads and with the new snow there are chain stops, literally guys checking to see if you have chains on the wheels to get over the pass...well yours truly r-u-n-n-o-f-t right past them there stops and yelled back that I's from WV and we don't need nobody ta tell usn's whatta do 'bout no weather. Ptya!

Down in a Hole...

...finding my soul. Near heavenly powder has redefined my relationship with frozen water. Gratitude, awe, and excitement are all wrapped up in my heart and mind as we continue to experience such inspiring and gratifying snow. Counting the blessings is a non-stop task...like counting the multitude of six-pointed crystals.

Here is a small map of where we have, mostly, been skiing.

Edelweiss Bowl, Christmas Tree Bowl, Telemark Bowl, Columbia Bowls, then, off the backside of that giant Glory Bowl, we hit up Coal Creek for over 3000' of vertical. Holy Snowflake, it was good! All of it! Some videos below may back me up on that statement. This photo, from near the top of Glory Bowl, shows Edelweiss (big open area with some sun) and the Olympic Bowl etc. in front of that.

The brother's and I have caught the BC bug, bad. Our great host, Ben, has provided us with the information and gear to safely navigate some of the finer and relatively safe(r) back-country skiing at Teton Pass. Skinny Skis hooked me up with some stiff boots and climbing skins, completely necessary for what we were choosing to do.

Is there such a thing as "too fat?"

When isn't Honey digging for something?

It seems that our paths are about to separate, as the lil' bro's are likely to head east soon. The wind under my wings is gently pushing me further west. Having some four (4) different friends in California makes it hard to stop here in Jackson. Oh wait, a few more live in So Cal but I doubt I'll get that far south. Time alone, oh, time will tell.

Mo Chases Co Video

Mo Spins Too Much or Not Enough

 Adam Makes 360's Look Easy

Mo Makes 720's Look a Bit Harder

True Tree Skiing

As my favorite telemark guru says: Ski Hard, Play Fair, Have Fun!!! Can do!

Song Comes True

No Longer "goin' to Jackson." We took the song's advice.

We left CO and headed NE to WY, KWIM? Thats" know what I mean."

The small town  of Jackson glows under moon- and starlight. Very little light pollution, nice. Our host, Sir Benjammin', has thoroughly made sure that we have had plenty of what we need: food, water, climbing skins, avy beacons, probes, shovels, you know, the shtuff you'd need to live on the moon, er, to save a fellow being from pre-mature and impermanent burial (It's a different world when the snow can kill you).

Super host, if he is on a couchsurfing website then surely look him up...that is, if you like cattywompus qweeirdness and good coffee!

It waits....

Choice can be a vice...

Our sherpa, Bailey Hinkle, was loyal, strong, and waaaaaay better than Honey...I'm working on it.

This oblong and flat stuff is hoarfrost, not snow. Sublimation makes it happen...

~~~~~~~

Wild tricky mogully steep creek crossing vid:

Rocky Road, a favorite flavor

Skinless Brother Awaits Fresh Tracks.
Earn Your Turns.

...

Mo, AMC, Zach and Honey

Mount Niwot, named after Chief Niwot, who supposedley cursed his fellow back-stabbing white miner cohabitants/invaders.

 Some think that nearby Boulder's super-trendy glamorous-green eco-ways have undone the curse.  " And the depressed pundit said 'Not as long as coal is burned to produce most people's power, eh?'"

Two days in a row, earning turns on long stretches of back roads in the Indian Peaks wilderness. Sunlight comes strong on day two, yet most of our path is shaded. We love shade; its power to preserve snow is priceless. Likely off to plow through the cowboy state of endless tumbleweeds and barren earth...and a tiny (only in size) anomaly known as Jackson. Reports show they have recieved 30 (thirty) inches of snow in the past day, over 80 (eighty!) in the past few days.

I'm Going To Jackson.

These boys don't pass up on extreme fluctuations in elevation. Not to mention the buzz it gives you...
 

Honey is getting whipped into shape following us up and down and up and down and up and....

TURN DOWN YOUR SPEAKERS...IT'S WINDY!

Head out on the Road!

Honey took some time to figure out that home was actually a transitory vehicle speeding away from police (aka dogcatchers) and the drudgery of the wet east. She only ran away at every other gas or rest stop...thus, our truip took a bit more than we thought. Instead of twenty four (twenty-four) hours, it only took 3 (three) days. Really. That means that we will show up in CO tomorrow. Time travel can be weird like that, esp. when you are racing the sun and going against the earth-rotation grain.

The Boys and Honey making their way west...no laughing or joking happened the whole way. Really.

I woke up in Kansas, after some dreary eeeeearly morning driving, and would you believe it, the place was flat and cold! The nice hay bails made it a bit more familiar..."Look, gigantic Frosted Shredded Wheat!" 

 Well, we made it. The sun shone on the Rockies for a few minutes in the early morning, then the day proceeded to be cloudy...a rare sight, according to Rad Ad. The clouds never seem to stop following us....ah, the storm that can be a life. Will keep any who check posted on the journey. The snow is coming here and further west...the east has been good to us so far though, we still love you! Until next time, keep your head high and feet dancing.