The Winter That Wasn't - HUH??

Snow on the Noque Trail March 4th

Noque Trail on March 16 after a week of high temps

So many times this year I have heard this winter referred to as the "Winter that Wasn't". Even though that may be true in a lot of areas, here we still had winter. It may not have been as cold as usual or we may not reached a record snowfall but having over 151 inches of snow isn't too shabby. It is now March 17 and we have had a week of extremely warm temps. My three-four foot snowbanks on the side of my driveway have all but disappeared in a week's time. Looking around town it is a dirty and ugly mess! That's why I drive a few miles away to the ski trails at a slightly higher elevation where it is still winter in my books. I have been out every day skiing to my heart's content thinking why in the world aren't more people out here? The trail is still fully intact except for one major spot along the power lines (no wonder) and a few other spots that aren't perfect..but who is asking for perfect? It is March. When I drove back to town today I noticed it was 68 F. I know there aren't very many good days left for winter but you can bet I will enjoy each one. Considering that I have been skiing since November 12 this ski season, I've had a solid 4 months of enjoyment on the skinny skis!

Winter Activity

 The last month and a half has produced a whirlwind of winter activity. I started the new year with a solo trip to my favorite rustic cabin. There I snowshoed for four days. The trip ended during a huge snow storm that produced more than 14 inches of snow. It was welcome however as it greatly increased the base or depth of the ski trails.

Next up was a winter sledge trip to the Lake Superior State Forest. This was a group trip sponsored by Michigan Backcountry Search and Rescue. The players were all seasoned backpackers so it went fairly smoothly considering that there were 13 people. There was the usual sledge modifications and stove problems but most hikers had no issues. Several in the group practiced making snow shelters for the first time.

I have skied most days this winter when not snowshoeing! Fun times were had with my downstate friends (Connie, Lorraine, Randy, Gussie and Curt). We rented a log home in the Keweenaw where we skied Chassell Trails, Swedetown in Calumet and Michigan Tech Trails in Houghton.

I also "organized" two skirt skis at Blueberry Ridge Pathway again this winter celebrating a  friend's birthday and the other was a gathering of my women's mountain biking group.

I backcountry skied out to Echo Lake with another friend (Muir) who has now moved to Idaho. Most other days I have skied at the Noquemanon Trail either solo or with my Wednesday morning buddies.

I returned to the rustic cabin with three friends (Ursula, Paula and Rita) to spend several days in the outdoors. Deep but crusty snow conditions were par for the course so we ended up snowshoeing instead.

Grandbaby Emma just visited here with her parents so I hooked up my sledge to pull her around my yard.
 

Even though we've only had just over 100 inches of snow this year, things are still looking good skiing wise. Hope to get out most days until it all melts....please stay awhile!