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Whether it's truly El Nino or just snow dances paying off in spades, Lake Tahoe got hit hard by a snowstorm yesterday and today. It's a much needed boost, both in terms of the snow pack and general attitude, for it's a lot easier to get excited about winter and ski season when things are actually covered in snow.
Despite all the giddiness about powder snow, I didn't ski at the resorts today. Yes, there is 3 feet of new snow at the higher elevations, but there was a lot of bare dirt (and rocks) at the ski resorts before this storm, so I'd rather wait until there's a better payoff. And lower risk of hitting a rock and hurting my already decrepit self.
Instead, the dog and I explored our meadow, which just a few days ago was bare dirt in many places. I spent an hour breaking trail in light and pristine shin deep snow, then enjoyed the fruits of my labors and skied back on said track.
Heck, I was so blissed out by the new snow that I didn't even say anything rude to the lazy-ass chick who was walking in my ski track. Talk about her lucky day.
We're dog sitting for friends this week. Their lab, Otis, is about Soleil's age, but has pretty much submitted to her since they first met. When at our place, this translates into us regularly shooing Soleil off his enormous bed, as Otis won't get on it if she's on it (and it's so much more attractive to her than her relatively small bed). In many respects the two behave like a dysfunctional married couple, alternating who gets to play the role of curmudgeon.
Early winter at Lake Tahoe tends to result in recreational limbo. There’s not enough snow to ski beyond the few resort groomers, and there’s too much snow on the trails to mountain bike or hike.
So low-expectation explorations are required if one doesn't want to head to lower elevations for snow-free trails. On Sunday we headed out to Carson Pass, near Kirkwood, for some low-angle touring with the dog. We knew it would be rocky, but were a bit surprised by just how many were still visible. After negotiating the approach to Winnemucca Lake (usually much easier in deeper snow pack), we decided to attempt skinning up towards the saddle next to Round Top. Conditions were bare enough for us to quickly recognize the folly of that goal. So after a few hundred feet of up, we headed down. It was a nasty, brutish descent, with wind affected snow that didn’t do much to hide the rocks lurking underneath, and some ugly survival skill like turns on my part.
But it was a glorious day to be out, and it was nice to feel the rhythm of skinning again, even if it was mostly cross-country.
Because my life isn't full enough with work, teaching, playing and my feeble attempt at finding balance, I've started writing about telemark and backcountry skiing in the Lake Tahoe region for Examiner.com.
Check it out - and don't worry, I'll still be ranting about stupidity and posting photos of my latest culinary disaster here.
Ski season has finally started at Lake Tahoe, with the openings of Mt. Rose, Heavenly, Northstar-at-Tahoe and Squaw Valley this week. N and I actually had plans to head to Mammoth (which has been open since October), but his asymptomatic manflu reared up again, leaving him with no desire to move, much less drive 2+ hours to ski - especially after a snowstorm left the roads a bit messy, and the mountains with upwards of 6 inches of new snow.
Our older house had gifted us with a few surprises over the years, but nothing dramatic like rodent infestations or exploding pipes. [knock wood]
The weeks before ski season always leave me in an uncomfortable state of limbo. The days are too short - and cold - for any long mountain bike rides, and hiking requires more layers and planning. Add to that a stupid injury (mine), the start of a bad cold (N) and unusual arctic temps, and we realized our options were limited this weekend. In the end we headed to Fallen Leaf Lake, an area neither of us had been to recently.
While cynics may claim this is but a dusting, last night's storm brought a few inches of snow to our house at lake level, and the resorts are reporting up to 6 inches.
A few weeks ago I decided to reduce my coffee dependency for a number of reasons. I've reduced my consumption substantially (threw out the IV drip and everything), but I'm not giving it up entirely. Were I to do so, I think I'd end up alienating everyone in my life.
I'm adjusting to one small latte a day, and I must admit that even 2 weeks into this, I'm still going through the withdrawal symptoms. So it makes me smile when I see something like this. Maybe my current state of sluggishness isn't so bad after all?
Last week I managed to punch myself in the chest with my bike handlebars. At the time it hurt, but I was more focused on getting through the rest of the bike ride and back to the car. While I've had more than my fair share of cuts and bruises, I've not had an injury like this in quite awhile - one that actually sidelined me for a few days and made the smallest of tasks (changing sheets, carrying a laundry basket) painfully difficult.
Luckily the pain started to subside mid-week, and I could walk and even run by this weekend. I haven't been so excited about the prospect of a run (ok, a jog given my pace) in a long time. It was a huge reminder about how lucky I am, that despite some chronic lower grade issues, I am able to do most anything I want to. For that I am grateful.
