Kitsap County, Green Mountain, the Blitz Traverse

There are 3 kinds of skiing in Kitsap County:

1. The usual:  get out the skis and slide around on the streets, a lawn, a golf course.

2.  The out-there:  try and ski a worthy place or objective that almost never gets enough snow and hope you succeed/survive.

3.  The good kind:  leave the county for a worthy destination such as Hurricane, Crystal, Rainier, etc.

On Saturday we did the first kind.  

On Sunday my friend Alisa called and invited me on the second kind:  a traverse of Green Mountain, from Gold Creek TH to the summit, then out via logging roads and bike trails right back to her driveway on Wildcat Lake.  She estimated it was about 6 miles. By the time I gathered my stuff and we dropped the truck it was 2:45 PM, snowing lightly..  No problemo!

It turned out there was plenty of coverage the whole way, moist down low and something more fluffy up high.  The GC trail was not skiable down (Steep narrow and rocky) but it skinned fine.  Hikers, snowshoers, and a few vehicles had made it up.  We had a mile or so of easy gliding down the road, then began a long, beautiful, tedious link of roads and trails, truck tracks and trailbreaking, and regular logs and stream crossings.  At some point Alisa allowed as that the distance might be more like 7-1/2 miles. One tree, which I sit-straddled to save time  taking off the skis, turned into a time-deficit when I got stuck and we were laughing too hard.  Then the snow turned to drizzle, then the headlamps came out for a creek wade, and we slogged.  then we were done.

Start elevation 550 feet, high point 1639 feet, total vert about 1800 feet.  1800/39600 = a Joy-O-Meter rating of 4.54%, with late start, dark, and wet not factored in.  Turns:  minimal.  Backcountry skiing in Kitsap County:  priceless!