The good news is that we have been getting a lot of snow in the mountains. I follow Al's Blog the source for everything A-Basin and they will consider keeping the Basin open after June 15. They have had 41" of snow this month. This has been an incredible late snow year. The other day I had to go to Cederedge, Colorado and the amount of snow on the San Juan Mountains was breath taking. Really beautiful late spring snows up there.
The only other times I have skied later than mid June is when Christian, my climbing partner, and I have climbed and skied St. Mary's Glacier. The climb is relatively short but in August the snow on the glacier is tricky. The sun beating on the snow melts large divots into the glacier called sun cups. If you try skiing it too early in the day it can be treacherous because your skis bridge the cups and the rims of the cups are icy. Think of a container of ice cream that you take a spoon full out of. The hollow part is soft but he upper edges are icy. You need for the noon day sun to soften the edges because if you are on a North Facing slope in the shade it is easy to loose your edges and if you fall the rocks are not friendly.
Christian skied up to me on a trip up St. Mary's once and came to rest on a steep slope just off of the main glacier. He was casually talking to me, when all of a sudden he was gone. The edges of his skis just let go and I watched as he slid head first down a steep slope toward very large boulders. I am ashamed to admit it right now, but all I could think of was that the keys to the jeep where in his coat pocket and if he was dead, I would have to climb down and get the keys, from his dead mangled body. Fortunately, he was able to turn his torso and take the collision with the rocks on his shoulder. He was battered and bruised, but lived to tell of it. Well actually, he made me promise to never tell his wife. Since it has been over twenty years, I guess I am safe.
I enjoy the fond memories, I gave up skiing years ago to work with horses and to ranch after I married my wife Kathy. We no longer even do that. I truly just wish to write my memories. I have never looked back, only in memories, and in the fall, when winter arrives do I still feel the familiar urges. I guess I felt the late spring skiing urge this week being in the San Juan Mountains. They are amazingly beautiful.
We are closing on our new house next week. It is the first property we have bought that is just for us. I will have a heated shop for myself, and a new writing office. We are extremely excited and happy. Don't know why the lord turned us from Oregon to here? He obviously has his plans. These days I just follow his lead. Perhaps I will finally attack those writing projects I rant about from time to time. The lord knows my heart and mind are very willing right now. Kathy has a nice studio, separate from the house, for her massage therapy and we are setting up a formal dining room for classroom activity so she can teach her healing arts programs. Life is blossoming.
I hope you enjoy the photo A-Basin from Al's recent blog. The Basin still is a place where there is "Nothing in Moderation." Although they no longer use that slogan, it is politically incorrect these days. It was not in 1978. I just remembered seeing that motto in a poem someone wrote. I guess they had the need to steal it. I would like to write my memoirs of those times before I get too old to remember, sometimes I don't trust those memories. They always seem more embellished than they actually were. Although the memories are probably true, I am the guilty embellisher. I hope everyone enjoys their Holiday Weekend!
A Song for Life's Survivors
"One Tin Soldier," Coven
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