March 16, 2008, Mt. Rainier, Lk Elenor
3/16/08
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
3602
3
Road ski.
Here it is Robie, as promised.
Snow:
2200ft - dusting over skiable crust (a.m.) that softened to breakable by evening.
3000ft - 2 to 4 inches snow over a skiable crust, heavy low down, less heavy up higher and in the old growth.
Fun tree skiing in the park on my Karhu xcd-gt's. I should have brought my track ski gear.
8hrs total r.t. thanks to the "ghost groomers"
The hard part was getting the Subaru parked. Don and I both had had experience getting our vehicles stuck last wk, so we cautioned Peter to watch it. Nearly to the Sun Top Sno-Pk Peter found a turn around at m.p. 1, and retreated a few hundred yards to park.
We walked to the Sno-Pk, past another parked Subaru and an s.u.v. around the gate, and then probalby another mile to jnc fs rd 73/ fs rd 7322? The FS sled heads told us this was plowed to the Muckleshoot fish hatchery on Huckleberry Cr.
From the jnc, we got to follow the track set 20 min ahead of us by two folks we never saw. These "ghost groomers" moved fast. We got w/ in 100yrds of them when our two parties diverged to make a tiny loop near Elenor Lk before rejoining our tracks. Probably the four of us were making so much noise we frightened the pair off. Our party owes them each a pint as they saved us a couple of hours and several thousand Calories burned.
I got my work-out double poling out along Huckleberry Cr.
Here it is Robie, as promised.
Snow:
2200ft - dusting over skiable crust (a.m.) that softened to breakable by evening.
3000ft - 2 to 4 inches snow over a skiable crust, heavy low down, less heavy up higher and in the old growth.
Fun tree skiing in the park on my Karhu xcd-gt's. I should have brought my track ski gear.
8hrs total r.t. thanks to the "ghost groomers"
The hard part was getting the Subaru parked. Don and I both had had experience getting our vehicles stuck last wk, so we cautioned Peter to watch it. Nearly to the Sun Top Sno-Pk Peter found a turn around at m.p. 1, and retreated a few hundred yards to park.
We walked to the Sno-Pk, past another parked Subaru and an s.u.v. around the gate, and then probalby another mile to jnc fs rd 73/ fs rd 7322? The FS sled heads told us this was plowed to the Muckleshoot fish hatchery on Huckleberry Cr.
From the jnc, we got to follow the track set 20 min ahead of us by two folks we never saw. These "ghost groomers" moved fast. We got w/ in 100yrds of them when our two parties diverged to make a tiny loop near Elenor Lk before rejoining our tracks. Probably the four of us were making so much noise we frightened the pair off. Our party owes them each a pint as they saved us a couple of hours and several thousand Calories burned.
I got my work-out double poling out along Huckleberry Cr.
We plead guilty to being the "ghost groomers". We "diverged" not because you were noisy, but because we were within minutes of our pre-determined turn around time; we had to both get home in time to put a 6 month old and an 8 month old to bed. We knew it was going to be heavy sledding back down, so we decided to head up towards the ridge above the lake and get a few turns in and see if we could see Grand Park at all. We didn't know you were there until we doubled back and picked up our outbound tracks.
This is the second time the approach to Grand Park has gotten the better of us this winter and both times due to some seriously slow snow.
Anyway, we'd happily take you up on that pint someday.
Jeremy Littell (and Mike Case)
This is the second time the approach to Grand Park has gotten the better of us this winter and both times due to some seriously slow snow.
Anyway, we'd happily take you up on that pint someday.
Jeremy Littell (and Mike Case)
author=jhamaker link=topic=9483.msg38271#msg38271 date=1205774950]
From the jnc, we got to follow the track set 20 min ahead of us by two folks we never saw. These "ghost groomers" moved fast. We got w/ in 100yrds of them when our two parties diverged to make a tiny loop near Elenor Lk before rejoining our tracks. Probably the four of us were making so much noise we frightened the pair off. Our party owes them each a pint as they saved us a couple of hours and several thousand Calories burned.
Jeremy and Mike. Did I see you Sat at Backpacker's Supply?
author=jhamaker link=topic=9483.msg38359#msg38359 date=1205898766]
Jeremy and Mike. Did I see you Sat at Backpacker's Supply?
No, I don't think so. I don't get to Tacoma much these days....I used to frequent BPS when I lived there though.
JL
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