a Wild adventure

No More Roads

2008-08-12T23:36:00.002-06:00

Snow Kiting in Idaho

2008-08-11T23:47:00.000-06:00

Hand Cut- Sweetgrass Productions

2008-08-10T23:41:00.000-06:00

Plastic Problem

2008-07-11T07:34:00.003-06:00

Everyone knows how big of a problem our consumption of petroleum based plastic water bottles is, both in terms of the waste stream and the chemicals that leach into the water. Here is an exciting solution option that addresses the convenience of bottled water without the harmful repercussions of consuming petroleum based plastic. Check out this post from my friends over at Earthpure Organics/NextGenVending.

Idaho Rivers are Calling me

2008-06-29T18:05:00.008-06:00

The Idaho rivers have been calling my name this spring and I've been on a 3 weekend-in-a-row spree of day trip floating. It began with a beautiful float down the Cabarton section of the North Fork of the Payette River from Round Valley to Smith's Ferry.

We spotted a bald eagle, osprey, and other birds but not a single other float party. It was a blissful day. Howard's plunge near the take-out got our hearts beating as the lead cat got pushed hard into the rock on the bottom left causing one passenger to swim and the other to quickly jump on the high side to prevent a flip.

The next weekend we hit the Middle Fork of the Boise above Arrowrock Reservoir. The float from the confluence of the North Fork and the Middle Fork down to Willow Creek Campground is an easy float with some fun wave trains and beautiful scenery. Our group of 40 were floating in opposition to the proposed gold mine near Atlanta, ID upstream of Boise and in the headwaters of the city's drinking water supply. It's an annual trip that I've loaned my boat for (check out this post from last year's trip or this one on Idaho Conservation League's blog to learn more about the issue).

Here's Bill and his two kids who I floated the Middle Fork and the South Fork of the Boise with on two weekends in a row. Jack and Isabel enjoyed their first rafting trips and definitely preferred the white water of the Middle Fork over the mellow float of the South Fork.

The third weekend we hit the South Fork of the Boise just below Anderson Ranch Dam. This stretch is known for its fly fishing and easy access. It's only an hour and 15 minutes from Boise and the roads are easy traveling compared to the unbelievably bumpy and windy road out the Middle Fork of the Boise. We had never been and realized that next time we should float the canyon section below Danskin Bridge or have double the flow for the section we floated below the dam.

3 weekends and 4 days of rafting. This is why I love Idaho so durn much! Now I've got the bug to do some longer trips on any number of wonderful river stretches we have here in this amazing state. And it's known as the potato state?! What a misnomer!

Snow Camping in the Salmon Mtns

2008-04-07T21:54:00.020-06:00

It began with the usual rush and chaos of getting out of town. It didn't help that I had planned an open-house for work on Thursday evening and hadn't packed before as I had hoped to. The purpose of the whole adventure was to get some head space out in the wilderness and meet up with my good friend Paul from Missoula. There was a lot of intention going into the weekend simply because I needed a change in scenery and a chance to breathe deeply for a while.

The wilderness is very soothing and therapeutic for me and at the same time it's extremely mysterious and challenging. Somehow it seems to clarify and put my life into perspective (at least one perspective). A long road trip by yourself is always a good thing to do when you need to think things through deeply. Unfortunately, due to my extremely late start, the nature of the route, and the distance I needed to travel, the drive out to Salmon ID from Boise at night didn't allow my mind work through my current troubles and past at all. It took me 6+ hours of white knuckle driving at an average speed of 45 mph due to the incredible amount of deer and elk on the windy roads. I arrived in Salmon at 2am and passed out in a hotel room Paul had secured for us that night.

We woke late and had a leisurely breakfast at The Coffee Shop (the only place for breakfast in Salmon besides Burger King and convenience stores) and proceeded to make a plan for where to spend the next 2 1/2 days skiing and camping in the mountains. I gave Paul the 15 minute run down on my life then we purchased a couple of maps and got some good recommendations from a local sportsman shop. The interaction with the shop owner was the first of many to bring up the wolf management and de-listing situation in Idaho. He told us that the people in town never were happy that "The Environmentalists" came into their town and shoved wolf re-introduction down their throats. He said wolves were making a natural and steady comeback and many had been sighted before re-introduction began.

After a quick stop for whiskey and a few key grocery items, we headed off to Williams Creek Summit just 20 miles or so south west of town. The drive up was beautiful and my excitement started to build as we climbed up towards the snow level. Shortly after reaching the snow line we stopped to help a fella who had slid his truck into the snow bank. Paul threw out his chains under Tom's tires and he was out. He had been cutting wood in the forest and had smashed the passenger side of his truck with a log. The back window was broken out and he proceeded to tell us how he was just standing there and a tree came rolling down the hill and crashed into his truck. Likely story Tom, but it's always fun to meet mountain characters.

A few more miles and we were at the top of the pass where we began gearing up for snow camping and skiing. It was ridiculous and sort of funny how ill-prepared we were in terms of food and cook stuff. We had one heavy small pot for cooking and melting water (ALWAYS TAKE 2!) and had all kinds of heavy, hard to prepare food for meals. I won't go into the details, but needless to say the next time I go snow camping in the woods I'm taking only dehydrated foods and plenty of whiskey.

Once we hit the trail it was a great feeling. It's always that moment that I think to myself- I need to do this more often - why don't I get out here more? One obvious answer that came to mind was my family li. With two young sons and a wife with a full-time job as well, it's amazing I can get out on trips like this at all. It was perfect to be out there with just Paul. He's so mellow and happy to not have any agenda at all, which was exactly what I needed to be able to unwind my hectic mind. It also helped that he's a really good listener, has great insights and is more sarcastic than any person I've ever met, yet sincere at the same time.

We found a perfect spot in the woods protected from the wind and blowing snow, set up our tent, gathered some wood and went for a short jaunt to explore the area. It was a great location for views of the Bitterroot Range, the Lemhi Range and the Bighorn Crags over in the Frank Church Wilderness.

Dinner that night was a huge disaster and I have to take full credit for screwing it up. Paul put a lot of effort into preparing some of his hand picked morel mushrooms only to have it ruined by a risotto mix that should have never been for sale in the first place. The problem was that I never read the ingredients until after we both decided that the food was actually inedible. It reminded me of my trek through the Pyrenees with my brother when we ate only awful pasta primavera for 8 days. My brother still gives me a hard time about that and I have a feeling that Paul won't let me live that risotto meal down either.

The next day we found a great burned-out northern aspect with great powder and about 1,000 ft vertical only a mile or so from camp. We took our time touring and enjoying the incredible scenery and the rhythmic sensation of skinning up the mountain and through the woods in silence.

The tour back to camp climaxed with the skies opening up and revealing the distant Bitterroots in their full alpen-glow glory.

The meal of salmon and whiskey finished us off well and we were in the tent and asleep like babies before my kids usually are.

An early ski out punctuated by a pleasant conversation with a local backcountry skier and his wife out for a day tour ended the skiing portion of our trip. We headed back down the mountain to town for some small town food and our final goodbyes.

It was early enough that I had the time to take a great side hike up to Goldbug Hot Springs south of Salmon. It was a nice contrast to be hiking in shoes with no snow around and headed up to the headwaters of Warm Springs Creek for a soak in the hot agua. Shortly after I arrived at the springs after the 2 mile climb the only other visitors packed up and left. It was sunny and I was alone soaking in one of the most spectacular hot springs I've ever been to. The situation was hard to beat really.

I was back to my car in time to be able to drive the 5 hours back to Boise in full daylight. Finally I had the road-trip time to let my mind absorb the passing landscape and contemplate how my life had gotten so complicated and hectic and what I could do about it. After it was all said and done the trip was an incredibly fun adventure that I really needed.

Ski session in the Sessions

2008-03-16T00:17:00.010-06:00

My brother Mike and I had a fun bc excursion into the Session Mtn's which is a small section of the Wasatch Range just east of Bountiful UT. We hiked and skied up Mill Creek Canyon -- a close 5 minute drive from his house -- climbed the ridge north of the canyon and followed it east for a while exploring our descent options. Mike had spied what looked like an ideal slope he coined his "secret run" on google earth and was excited to get his first in-person glimpse of this perfect run only a 2 hour hike from his house.

The ridge was beautiful with significant cornices and wind-loaded northern aspects and it provided great views of the surrounding peaks as well as across the valley to far off ranges jutting out of the desert. Isolated storms drifted across the flat land below us dragging their skirts of precipitation along the earth. After traversing the ridge and negotiating a narrow boot-pack section near the cornice we came to the "secret run". To Mike's dismay it consisted of a very steep and short drop to a flat bench. He concluded that google earth had misinformed him by showing an average of the two slopes steepness combined. The good news was that there were plenty of great options from anywhere along the ridge including open bowls and slopes with evenly spaced fir and pine trees.

We skied the north side down into Holbrook Canyon and while we had planned to return via our approach we opted to try to ski out Holbrook and catch a ride back to my car. The bottom of Holbrook had a trail and was fairly navigable on skis for the most part, although at one point I thought Mike was going to dive into the creek head first during one crossing.

All in all we probably covered 7 or 8 miles and 3,000+ feet of vertical. The weather and views were spectacular going from sunny and warm one minute to windy, cloudy and cold the next. Mike saw a snowshoe hare and we followed fresh moose tracks on our way out Hollbrook.

In Idaho...Smokey Mountains

2008-03-07T18:17:00.003-07:00

Rawmin came over from San Fran, Mike came up from Salt Lake and I drove over from Boise for a fantastic trip exploring the Smokeys over four days last week. We found great powder on the north facing aspects and loved skiing the burned forest areas near Fox Peak. Tornak is an awesome hut northwest of Sun Valley operated by Sun Valley Trekking. It was recently rebuilt to accommodate wheelchair access and is very comfortable and well stocked with materials.

The mountains, skiing, weather, forests and hut hang time reminded me why I love bc skiing trips so much.

Wolves to be Killed in massive numbers

2008-02-25T10:39:00.004-07:00

Wolves have been de-listed from the Endangered Species List and the states of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming are assuming responsibility for management of the species. The grey wolf was reintroduced to the Rockies in the mid 90's after we decimated the population out of fear and greed. Now they are destined for more killing by the public in planned hunts.
A gray wolf. (Credit: Tracy Brooks/ Mission Wolf/ USFWS)

The Jughandle Lady

2008-02-25T00:26:00.003-07:00

The hut is nestled into the tree line directly west and below the southern nob of the mountain known as Lady Bug. These photos were taken by Eric Pfeifer on a ski tour with Josh who is the owner/creator of the Jughandle Backcountry Silo. Custom bunk beds, a wood stove and insulated walls round out the rustically cozy accommodations perched on Jug Mtn's flank.

Elke and the Boys

2008-02-24T16:42:00.005-07:00

Yes Elke (elk-ey) is her name and she's a little bundle of joy. With sharp teeth and a rambunctious attitude she keeps the boys on their feet.

Larry Craig Publicly Chastised

2008-02-15T09:43:00.006-07:00

The Senate Ethics Committee officially rebuked Larry yesterday for soliciting sex in the men's bathroom at the Minneapolis airport. Fortunately, in my opinion, they did stop short of requesting his resignation. While this is a satisfying development for someone who has lied and cheated Idahoans and catered to corporate special interests for many years, I just hope it doesn't push him over the edge to resign. I think the Dems will have a much better chance to gain his seat if they don't have to run against Governor Butch Otter's appointed replacement.

A Snowmobile for George

2008-02-14T17:15:00.012-07:00

A Snowmobile for George
is playing in Missoula at the Wilma Theatre

Tuesdsay Feb 19th

**This post is quoted with permission from the filmmaker's recent press release**

"A Snow Mobile for George" is a rambunctious road trip that collects the stories of fishermen, cowboys and firemen who have to face the consequences of environmental de-regulation by the Bush Administration. Starting with a question over the filmmaker's used two-stroke snowmobile engine, the documentary uncovers the political strategy and rationale behind a massive sell-off of public resources.

But if close ties between corporations and the Bush White House don’t surprise you, the film’s approach may. “A Snow Mobile for George” begins modestly as a one-man, one-machine road film that simply asks why rules to clean up a smoky off-road machine got shelved. With no presumption of guilt or blame, filmmaker Todd Darling tows his family snowmobile across the United States What starts off as a loopy personal quest steadily morphs as this petroleum Huck Finn takes the viewer to the sites of more serious environmental changes.

Told with a dry sense of humor, the film traces rule changes back to key Administration players. On this coast-to-coast journey, the filmmaker goes to the Klamath River along the drought stricken California/Oregon border where politically inspired rule changes by the Administration helped cause the nation’s largest fish die-off in 2002. A thousand miles East, in Wyoming, he discovers a range war between ranchers and oil-companies that started when political appointees in the Interior Department suppressed clean water rules for natural gas drilling. and persists in asking that question. The film’s humble point of departure gives little hint as to its ultimate destination.

And finally, he and the snowmobile roll into lower Manhattan. There he meets New YorkWorld Trade Center. firemen, Wall Street workers and residents worried about their health and their lives because White House environmental officials ordered the EPA to side-step toxic waste protocols in the collapse of the

The common thread among these stories is de-regulation – the notion that common citizens benefit when “the government gets off their back”. But the film uncovers how the Administration worked efficiently to match up the goals of select industries with the political demands of the White House at the expense of the little guy.

Through out the journey the original question about the resurrection of the smoky two-stroke snowmobile engine becomes the tragic-comic relief. Bouncing from smog checks in Salt Lake City, buffalo in Yellowstone, college engineering contests in Michigan, and lobbyists in Washington, viewers discover that the snowmobile has some powerful allies. And oddly enough, this seemingly obscure off-road vehicle pioneered one of the Administration’s most sophisticated computer-based political strategies.

At times beautiful, at times wacky, “A Snow Mobile for George” takes the viewer on an American odyssey that poses thought-provoking questions about the deterioration of the public good.

I encourage you to go see this film and show support of its environmental message. For more information about the film please email snomo4geo@gmail.com or visit http://www.asnowmobileforgeorge.com/.

Back to My Roots

2008-02-14T04:47:00.003-07:00

It was an unbelievable weekend in Steamboat of seeing old friends, making new connections and skiing in the copious amounts of snow that they've had this season.

This is me talking with my high school geography teacher about the route plans for the day on Hahn's Peak in North Routt. Jim had surgery on his shoulder a few weeks ago and is already out skiing the bc like it's nothing!

Here is Chris enjoying some turns in the Northern Glades.

On the way back to Columbine we made a quick loop up and over the Porphyry Ridge which was a great treed aspect with good pitch for our final turns. It's the knob in the background of this photo.

It's hard to beat a good day in Columbine on Hahn's Peak, especially for me since its the mountain where I learned how to telemark and respect the backcountry.

Wowa

2008-02-04T00:59:00.000-07:00

Greenville Tour

2008-02-04T00:37:00.000-07:00

Greenville Mine Road, Routt National Forest, CO

Backcountry Film Festival Promo

2008-01-19T00:57:00.001-07:00

A huge thanks goes out to Darren Sand for putting this promo video together for our Backcountry Film Festival. It was a fun project to work on with you Darren!

The Snowy New Year

2008-01-08T23:25:00.000-07:00

Sunday we were blessed to wake up to more fresh snow on the valley floor so we headed over to simplot hill for some sled runs. The only down side is that there's not much room to slow down or stop before the road. Parents line the bottom just waiting to dive and tackle their flying children before the street. Hay bales would be helpful.

This friendly couple was outside on their lawn and greeted us as we drove by en route to our house. I love the friendly snow people in our neighborhood.

A Windy Climb

2008-01-03T23:53:00.000-07:00

One day a friend and I followed our boys into the foothills for a steep adventure that took us to the top of Castle Rock. The wind was howling and biting and the boys loved it. This shot turned into one of our xmas card even though 2 of the boys aren't ours, but are close friends.

Tane', River and Qi are surveying the townscape below from the Castle Rock perspective. An old volcanic plug, Castle Rock makes for some fun rock scrambling and a nice view only 10 minutes walking from the house.

Flying with River

2007-10-20T11:13:00.005-06:00

Good Bye Jon Jon and Jonah

2007-09-05T23:00:00.000-06:00

We love you both. Thank you for sharing your lives with us.

back to nature

2007-08-15T12:05:00.001-06:00

Aliens are Here

2007-08-15T11:37:00.001-06:00

There's a lot of strange political and natural stuff going on as usual, although it seems to be getting weirder as time goes on. It's too bad Larry can't just be who he really is and let go of the lying and corruption about his sexuality. In some ways invasive species are more frightening than Idaho politics because those changes are somewhat permanent and often disastrous to entire ecosystems. Invasive species and Larry Craig have a lot in common I suppose.

I still can't believe this Bill Sali guy was elected to the US House, but I tell you that he doesn't represent me as an Idahoan!

wild man Canyon

2007-08-02T11:25:00.001-06:00

This little guy has so much enthusiasm for life, it puts a smile on my face. And boy does he dig slides. He can't get enough of the hydrotube at our local swimming pool which is a pretty extreme ride for a one year old!

the Little Man

2007-08-01T17:44:00.000-06:00

Grimes Pass Roadless Area

2007-07-31T18:05:00.012-06:00

The Boise River is More Precious than Gold

2007-07-31T18:05:00.001-06:00

A group of concerned citizens and elected officials from the Boise area got together this summer for a float trip down the Middle Fork of the Boise River; a stretch of river upstream of Boise that is threatened by a proposed and open pit cyanide heap leach gold mine near the town of Atlanta, Idaho. The trip was organized by Idaho Families for Clean Water which is a collaborative effort between the Idaho Conservation League, Sierra Club and Trout Unlimited to try to block the mine.

One major concern is the amount of diesel fuel and other hazardous chemicals that would be trucked along this treacherous backcountry road in great quantities to reach the mine site. On our way up to the put in we passed the scene of a recent car accident where a driver had lost control and swerved off the road and nearly landed in the river. One can only expect that such accidents are likely to occur with the frequency of supply trips for the mine over its lifetime.

It was a great group of folks that came for the opportunity to learn more about the mine proposal and the potential effects to the river which supplies a good deal of Boise's drinking supply. It is a beautiful stretch of river that draws many visitors for fishing, hot springing, hiking, camping and hunting.

Here's John from ICL giving a very interactive and informative presentation on the specifics of the proposed mine site and the historic impacts of cyanide mining around the country. He also gave a great summary of some of the strategies that the coalition is utilizing to try to stop the mine.

Pam from TU explained how one of the oldest laws on the books, the Mining Law of 1872, is one major obstacle for blocking this mine and others like it in the West. There has been some movement afoot to reform the law and with the new democratic majority in congress we just might have a chance to overturn this ancient and absurd legislation.

Tetons- Think Rocks

2007-07-31T17:59:00.000-06:00

This is likely a fossilized brain of a pre-pre-pre historic human that lived on the bottom of ancient seas that covered the Teton area hundreds of millions of years ago. I was just sitting enjoying the magnificence of a bright sunny day in Death Canyon when I made the discovery. As you can tell from the photo, the back of the brain of this specimen is extremely pronounced which leads me to believe that most of its thoughts were occurring in the subconscious - something that's been happening to me a lot lately.

I was on a trip with some spectacular folks for a nice walk and talk near Phelps Lake. We had a silent meditation hike down from the saddle to enjoy the sounds and sights of the wildness around us. It's something I need to do more often. Nearing the lake I heard some rustling in the bushes, and stopped to observe what curious creature might be experiencing the same reality of the locale. A momma moose and her baby slowly wandered out, mere feet from me, and crossed the trail at a leisurely pace to continue on their mid afternoon sojourn to Phelps Lake. The fragrance of sweet summer pollen was wafting in the radiating heat of plants and sun. After a refresher in the lake and a wonderful exchange of words and stories I headed up canyon to Explore Death (which I'm doing right now by the way).

I found a lovely spot along the creek for a cool dip to awaken and refresh my sweaty and pulsating body. It was so great to get the blood flowing and end up in a frigid mountain stream surrounded by all that I love. The boulder on the right in this photo was my companion and I did see a few butterflies as well.

After catching back up with my comrades near the saddle I had a wonderful conversation about the Hopi Eagle Ceremony and Clan from my friend Daron. He goes along with the Eagle Clan to help harvest eagle eggs from the cliffs to perform the Eagle Ceremony. I must say that I could have walked and listened for quite some time more when we arrived back at the trail head. A beautiful day in the Tetons all around.

the Looooong state

2007-07-31T17:51:00.000-06:00

Boston to Steamboat in 2.5 Days held its challenges and pleasures. Most notable were our near death experiences with merging lanes of semi trucks through Chicago and cresting the pass in the Snowy mountain range of Wyoming/Colorado to glimpse a scraggly black bear and enjoy the fading light behind the Zirkel Mtns. Of all the white knuckle winter driving I've done, nothing compared to my level of anxiety driving through Chicago and the bliss I felt coming down into North Park in such beautiful light where my grandparents are buried and my father spent his childhood.

Somewhere in the middle of this everlasting state the Penske began vapor locking and didn't stop the rest of the trip. Apparently ethanol fuel mixture has a lower vaporizing temperature which led to our problem. With a new fuel filter and a short nap on the roadside we continued our Nebraska crawl without a stop at the Cabela's for a walk down memory lane (my father took me there during his business trips).

This was the view at our break down point and I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to see this view without any road, power line, fences or planted crops and with herds of buffalo, antelope and deer roaming in the distance.

Almost home and at the bottom of Rabbit Ears pass the Penske caught fire and started shooting flames out near the wheel. Luckily we had the dregs of our coffee mugs to extinguish the flames and we were on our way for the final 30 minute home stretch.

the Random Slideshow

2007-06-28T00:52:00.000-06:00

I wanted to try out this new program for creating slideshows on my blog so here's some random photos from various adventures I've had. It's a free and easy to use flash slideshow program called slideroll.

A day with Celeb

2007-06-15T11:22:00.000-06:00

Finally we were able to make it up to Raspberry Ranch so River could spend some time with Celeb. She was great for River and enjoyed being out and about and free to munch grass since she’s been on a pretty strict diet lately. We explored the ranch for two hours on a beautiful spring day and River was surprisingly comfortable riding for that long. He even tried trotting her a few times and loved it.A bald eagle flew right over the top of us as we wandered down this road and River nearly fell backwards staring up at the sky to watch it. The ranch is right at the base of West Mountain in the Boise National Forest and as River gets more riding experience under his belt we will be able to ride up the mountain to explore Hidden Lake or Snowbank Peak.It's something about the size of horses and their unique personalities that attract me to them so much and they are definitely fascinating animals for kids. Perhaps one day we'll be the proud owners of some fat and lazy quarter horses we can occasionally jump on for an adventure. This was great prep for a potential family horse-pack trip into the Wind Rivers. What do you say Mike?

June is in Tune

2007-06-14T15:07:00.000-06:00

June Mishea McEvoy Woodruff has joined us in this world as of June 9th. The third of the McEvoy-Woodruff Clan, little June joins older sister Zeia and older brother Jasper in their efforts to take over the world. Weighing in at a hefty 8 lbs 4 oz, I'm sure she'll be a force to be reckoned with!Good luck with those wacky parents June! You can always visit Tio in Idaho for extended periods. No really, congratulations to the McEvoy Woodruff Clan!

Museo del Arte Moderno

2007-05-24T21:26:00.000-06:00

Freight Train to Nowhere

2007-04-10T00:16:00.000-06:00

What's better than riding a train with a bunch of krazy kids along the river for the afternoon? The only problem is that the train comes back, because once you get the bug for riding the rails..

Boise Foothills

2007-03-19T00:00:00.000-06:00

Air and Sun

Wind and Space

Inside the Beauty

Of our Souls

Old Sand

2007-03-09T03:47:00.000-07:00

I found some old pics recently from a trip up Sand Mountain north of Steamboat Springs. The trip was a beautiful sojourn with a great group of friends who converged for some winter fun in Steamboat.From the town of Hahn's Peak (north of Steamboat) we headed about 5 miles SW to Mill Creek, and started skiing just upstream from where it enters Steamboat Lake. After paralleling the creek for a couple of miles we headed up into the enchanted forest on the north flank of Sand. It's a nice and gradual climb through firs and spruce and we found a snug group of trees to huddle for a snack out of the fat, falling snowflakes. Before we reached the saddle between Mead and Sand we took a few moments to absorb the view east into the steep bowl below Sand's northeast face of cliffs. Although the open expanse of powder and steeps beckoned us, the snow was quite unstable and dropping in would not have been smart.While some of the group rested in the trees just below the saddle the rest of us headed through the final trees and up the summit ridge. Every time I have skied Sand the visibility has been awful and this time was no different. The fog and snow was so thick near the top and the lack of contrast from trees exagerated the feeling of being on a cloud.The east face of Sand is not a cornice you want to ski off unless you have a parachute. We had our moments on the top of Sand- always a special place for me- and headed back towards the saddle to make some turns and meet up with the others.

Wrapping up our hoots and hollers through the trees, we decided to head back a different way and follow a more direct drainage to meet up with Mill Creek. We quickly got held up in thick brush in a small and narrow drainage. Eventually, after the sustained bushwacking struggle, we met back up with our route and skied out to the car. Exhausted and fulfilled we relaxed back at the house with a soak in the rented hot tub. One of these days I'll make it up Sand on a blue bird day and get the winter perspective of Hahn's Peak and the Zirkels I've never had. Gosh I love north Routt county.

River's First Powder Day in Utah

2007-03-05T23:16:00.000-07:00

While visiting beautiful Bountiful Utah recently, River and I had a chance to get out to sample some fresh Utah powder. Our cohorts rallied for Snow Basin stating that there would be no crowds, so we went along with the plan (River is cool like that). Of course we happened to be visiting on one of the busiest days ever and as I was lamenting spending the $$$ on the day pass, a fellow pulled up next to us and busted out his 1/2 rack of Hamm's and lit up his cig. I immediately remembered why I spend the majority of my snowsliding time in the backcountry, and at the same time I had an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia; nostalgia for days of spring skiing with a buzz after throwing back a few hangin on the sun deck.

It was a beautiful blue-bird day and the mountain was spectacular with its exposed cliffs and peaks towering above the resort. The older kids made a few turns while the youngins chilled with Grandma. Despite most of the snow being tracked-out we had a blast until two klutz doctors in our group collided and we decided it was time to head to lower terrain and meet up with the kids.

Zeia, River and Isaac joined us on the carpet for a few warm-up runs and then begged to head up the Gondola. River and Zeia were in heaven as we headed up in the space ship for their first big run together. Wind howling at the top did not phase them and River was in awe of the experience.River, Zeia, and Isaac wrapped the day with a long hot tub soak back in town with the other kids and shared their Utah powder day stories. I'm certain the day's events are imprinted on River's memory and his hunger for these fun adventures will only grow as he does. Good times.
-cw

Early in the Morn

2007-02-21T23:34:00.000-07:00

When you have kids often times your best option for some time away involves getting up long before you should and heading out in the darkness for an adventure. Before I had kids the only time I would get up that early was for ski races or summiting peaks in Colorado. This is a great early morning mellow tour along the beautiful Lake Fork Creek valley and was perfect considering the nasty rain crust that persisted in the snow pack for way too long.

This photo was an hour and a half into my ski out Lick Creek Road near McCall. The view is to the south of Boulder Mtn and the Shaw Twins.
At the bottom of the photo you can see the tracks of the ever present snowshoe hare. And the flakes were falling fat and silent.

My pup loved the chance to get out although he kept looking at me with what looked like his thought pf "I'm pretty sure he's lost it this time, but this is fun". The road had been driven by a cat so it made for easy going. The experience on this road in the winter is not usually this peaceful, but I was early enough that the 'bilers weren't out yet. This is a very popular spot for snowmobilers to access the backcountry. The north side of the road is all closed to motorized winter travel and the right side is open to motors.

On my way out I met a couple of sled access skiers, nice guys, who were scouting for a winter camping trip later in the season. They planned to ride in several miles past Brown's Pond and drop the sleds and skin into the forest and up the South Fork of Lake Fork Creek. That is an area I would love to spring ski into and summit Boulder for some good corn turns. The sunrise over Little Payette was awesome on my way back to the family. It was only a few hours but it changed my whole day.

To learn more about backcountry skiing near McCall check out the Central Idaho Recreation Coalition's website.

Longing to be Out

2006-12-12T00:45:00.000-07:00

The second major snow storm series is hitting the central Idaho mountains as I write and I've got an incredible urge to be out in the mountains again breathing and reconnecting. Perhaps a family trip to Jughandle Hut is in the cards during the week after Christmas, or even just a weekday tour near Idaho City would be a fix if I can steal away from work.

Jughandle Hut is a privately owned and operated backcountry ski hut on the side of Juhhandle Mountain that looks over Long Valley above McCall. Friends and acquaintances can stay at the hut and have excellent access to killer ski terrain. It's actually an old grain silo that's been retrofitted with insulation, a stove and bunk beds.

There used to be a canvas tent at the site for years, but it wasn't maintained well. Jughandle is some of the best backcountry skiing within easy access of McCall.

Redest of the Red in Wild Idaho

2006-11-10T00:06:00.000-07:00

It will be quite interesting to see what kind of politics Bill Sali plays as the newly elected 1st District seat in the House of Reps and what it will mean to "fight for an America that is free, secure and prosperous".

Wild politics here in Wild Idaho. The face of D.C. politics has finally changed, but here in Idaho it's still the redest of red states. Voters elected the completely incompetent Bill Sali to represent Idaho's first congressional district and I'm scared! We all should be scared. Butch Otter is going to be our new Governor! Idaho republicans seem to always align with corporate interests and leave the people and land of Idaho behind in the dust of their economic development motorized vehicles.

Idaho may be the good'ol boy state of the west and the "redest of the red" still out here, but the winds of change are a blowin. All kinds of people around the country and even in Idaho are waking up to the fact that our elected leaders are making questionable decisions that are often in direct conflict with the best interests of citizens, families, communities, wildlife and the lands. Get involved and make a difference. This is democracy right? It is only if we hold our elected officials accountable by being engaged in the process and staying engaged as a community for time to come.

What we have here on earth as humans is quite amazing and we all need to do our part to minimize our impact. Unfortunately serious environmental degredation occurs in the name of economic growth and "progress" all too often. We need to preserve the quality of life and land for our children and our children's children.