an EPIC tour of the white mtns

i just got back from a 4 day, 70 mile tour of the Whites.

Day 1: a grueling 24 mi ski into Wolf Run Cabin with a 30+ mph headwind, totally exposed. it took far longer than we anticipated and finding the windblown trail in the dark became a nightmare. For a while I was sure we would have to bivy out once we lost the trail. we finally arrived at the cabin at 11 pm (nearly 10 hours of skiing!)

Day 4: glorious spring ski - perfect trail conditions, 35 degrees and sunny.

we had it all. and that made it a fantastic trip. thanks audrey for a great trip!

if you read this profile map RIGHT to LEFT - this is our trip. I stole this off Ed's blog - he and Dan skied the same loop a few month ago, but in reverse direction. looking at the profile you may ask why we choose to go this direction.... a damn good question!

last day - audrey's 'look no hat' smile
we THOROUGHLY enjoyed relaxing in the cabins in the morning sun...

ski boots are simply not made for 8 hour days. we both had major foot problems.

caribou bluff cabin

i think the outhouse at caribou bluff gets the most scenic outhouse award

auds demonstrating proper technique for chopping wood when wearing down booties

our easter dinner - curried asparagus - YUM! we went a bit on the gourmet side, rather than the ultralite side - and paid a price with heavy packs. tho aside from maybe skipping the 2 lb. loaf of bread from lulu's bakery, i'm not sure i'd do things much differently next time. you gotta eat well when skiing 20 mi days...

a highway of wolf tracks on beaver creek
fossil gap trail. i'm now more eager than ever to do a float trip down beaver creek this summer, some very cool riparian habitat.

good thing we didn't see anyone for 4 days, we were dressed like we were going to rob a bank or something.

the trail out of caribou bluffs cabin

this is a classic 'caz leave me alone i hate overflow and i'm tired' expression...

a long ways from nowhere...


the wolf run trail was pretty much entirely blown over, you can see why we had trouble staying on it in the dark...

who is julie morse?

i gotta say i don't really get the whole facebook thing - people poking you and writing on your wall and sending you tea bags...what's wrong with good old fashion blogging? but this one was pretty interesting (or creepy, i can't decide)... the other day i got an invite to be friends with julie morse, and turns out there's a whole group of julie morse's out there. so these are the people that always steal the good user names....

120 ft. snowmoman in Maine

Spence and Bryce - is that you on the webcam??? wow, that snowwoman looks mega huge mega gigantuous!! did you shake her hand and say nice to meet you?

+ 7 min a day

it's definitely spring up here - you can't necessarily tell by the temps but the increasing daylight is phenomenal these days. this is Cyndie's new and very exciting solar array at the plant kingdom (aka, pk). i'm so impressed that she, as a small business owner, made such a huge investment in solar. her system cost over 30 grand and the bizarre thing is she still pays the same electric bill every month just like you and i. the solar power goes into the grid system and once a year (on earth day) she'll get a check for her contribution. bizarre system but i guess it does make more sense to feed the grid which is already there, rather than get a storage system on site so she can use her own power and be self-sufficient. anyhow, i started working part-time at the greenhouse again this week (this is my 3rd season working there, crazy how time flies), and this is just one of the reasons i love working for Cyndie.