2108.1 miles later we were sitting in the driveway, amazed we got away with it.
It started Thursday at about five in the evening. I was sitting watching the Salt Lake weatherman talk hesitantly about a storm that might be coming then clear skies to follow. Dan was sitting behind me at the computer, playing on the internet.
“Let’s go to Baker.” He says.
“Yeah, I know, they’re getting a ton of snow right now.”
“I’m serious, I’m driving to Baker tonight. We can get there by eight in the morning.”
“Well, I don’t know…I’m kinda poor…and driving all night…oh fuck it, let’s go.”
The new guy, John (whose name later changed to “Cherry” with the comment: “I’m just going to take my skis off and hike out of this” when standing on top of a small cliff band), was down also, so we started packing.
We were out the door by 7:00. A tank of gas and 380 miles later we were in Boise. It was about 12:30AM I think and we had out sights set for Yakima. Fatigue set in somewhere in the Wallowas and was combated heavily with Red Bull and cigarettes. Bellevue was in the rearview mirror by 7:00AM. Bellingham was scoped for cheap hotels as we passed at 8:00. By 10:00, two hours after our ETA, we rolled into the upper parking lot. The gear was thrown on already exhausted bodies and we headed to the lodge.
“What the hell is going on?” we thought, staring at hour long ticket buying lines. Finally, at just before noon, we were catching our first lift rides of the season. It had only taken 17 hours of traveling when Chair 1 dropped us.
But it was snowing.
We skied for about three hours before heading to the bar for some much needed real beer. The Snowcap was flowing and Dan called home to get a weather report from the roommate left behind. “They’re calling for snow.”
After a few more rounds down in Bellingham and free breakfast cookies from the nice bartender, we retired to our Motel 6. That five AM alarm went off all too soon. But this was no relaxing vacation. The conditions were “powder” and the accumulation was “between one and two feet.” We knew it was on as we showered and headed off for fuel. I ordered a syrup injected bacon and egg sandwich and chased it down with a McDonalds coffee with Red Bull sidecar on the way up. We arrived to bombs going off at 7:45AM. After waiting in a much shorter ticket line, we were about 30 chairs back on Chair 1. Droop dropped from my lip as we headed up the chute. Dan and I both wanted the little double at the bottom, so that would be the first run. Spatulating down the top was the best thing I’ve felt since March (sorry Candice.) Neither of us stuck the air, but it was so deep and so untracked we went back the second run and hit it again. I’m starting to love this place.
We ended up losing Cherry after his self deprecating comment, and since Dan and I both had the gear, we were going to duck some ropes. There were a couple people traversing off the top of Chair 5 and thought we would follow. Two minutes of traversing later, we are standing on the top of an untracked powder field.
Dropping in
http://www.biglines.com/photos/norma...ines_47774.jpg
Spatulating
http://www.biglines.com/photos/norma...ines_47775.jpg
Below the tree line there were some pillow lines, a rarity in Utah.
Dan Scoping
http://www.biglines.com/photos/norma...ines_47780.jpg
Dropping
http://www.biglines.com/photos/norma...ines_47781.jpg
Exiting with a snowy beard
http://www.biglines.com/photos/norma...ines_47772.jpg
The rest of the day went much like the beginning. Burly billy goating under signs simply marked “cliff” and inbounds pow fields. Cherry spent the last two hours of the day napping in the car. We woke him up at 3:30 on the way to the bar to tell him about his new nick-name. Imagine the options.
Cherry spent 12 of 15 hours napping in the back of the car. He drove for a bit at one point, but said he was tired and pulled over half a tank into his shift. [Lloyd Christmas]I guess some people just aren’t cut out for life on the road. [/LC] We got back at 11:30AM on Sunday the 13th of November. I couldn’t walk. My wrists we sore from not poling for six months (have at it.) I drank a 64 ounce bottle of cranberry juice to clean out that sorry excuse for a stimulant for two days. All in all, we were gone from SLC for 63 hours. 29 of which were spent driving. My neck hurts, my back hurts, my legs hurt, my arm hurts. My wallet hurts, my bases hurt, the truck hurts. It feels wonderful.
