A Night on Billy Mitchell: TR

[Odin]

So with the clear weather came the desire to go skiing.

I packed up the backpack with Sleeping bag, food, water, stove, candles and other esential items.

Skinned/hiked up the keyhole to the lower portion of billy mitchell and built my snow cave. I started then putting in a skin track for the next day around 3:30/4:00.

Snow was powder and very nice as I got some great turns in after busting in a good skin track. I proceeded to cook dinner and get ready for the night.

It turns out though that I needed more than the insulating item I brought for the bottom of my sleeping bag as the snow/ice melted and the cold SEEPED through into my bag. I was constantly chilled/shivering and my core temp started dropping. I had three candles running and my stove and while the ambient temperature was up I couldn't stop the cold from eating through to my bones. (next time bring inflatable matress) So around 12:30 AM I decided that staying up there until sunrise would mean a few things.

1. It would be another 6 or 7 hrs of torture. (there was no way I was getting to sleep)

2. My muscles were already overtaxed by the constant shivering and cold.

3. I would have a depleted energy level.

So I packed up the camp and set myself back down the mountain by the strength of the full moon. It illuminated everything EXCEPT the keyhole, which is a 1000 ft vertical chute only a little bit more than a ski length wide in some spots. Things were realized and side stepping was utilized as the snow had turned from pow to death crust.

I finally warmed up by the virtue of hard exercise and managed to make my way back down the hill to the river. I crossed the frozen spot and made my way back up to the car. A normally 30 minute descent took me about an hour and a half to two.

However it was an excercise in exactly what to do and what not to do. So I have learned what I need to know for the next time I am there.

Another go wil be made possibly this coming week.

[Odin]

a photo of the keyhole from last year. I took some new pics but haven't had time to put them up yet.




Billy is an Awesome mountain especially considering that really no snomachines can get back there easily and that there is only one heli company that hits terrain that far north.


My new mantra - My legs are a heli, My legs are a heli, My legs are a heli

Billy

[gincognito]

Odin = core.

d.