The Best of All Possible Worlds

This winter just keeps getting better and better. Other than that cold snap in early December, the weather has been mild for a Montana winter. It was actually too warm for a couple weeks in January, but February was perfect - nighttime temperatures in the single digits or teens, daytime temperatures in the 20s or low 30s. New snow every few days, and lots of sunshine in between.

I have skied almost every day that I haven't gone to town. I have also puttered around the house, worked on websites and email newsletters, knitted sweaters and socks, baked bread in the wood cookstove, sat on the deck watching the light change on the mountains, walked in the moonlight. This is as good as it gets.

The snowpack is much better than last year. Yellowstone Park is having another drought year, but here in the Bangtails and Bridgers, we are exactly on the thirty year average for snow depth. The best thing about all the snow is that the fallen logs and branches have enough cover for me to ski over, so I fall less often skiing through the woods.


Here are some pictures of today's ski up to the top of the ridge and back down along the "back" side of the ridge to my favorite ski hill.


The meadow at the top of the ridge is all tracked up by Jeff and his friends who like to play on their snowmobiles and skis up there. This is fine with me, because I can climb the ridge on their tracks and not have to break trail.

There were lots of rabbit tracks everywhere. Seems to be bunny season.
Speaking of tracks, what do you suppose this one is?Yep, it's the mark of the illusive Snow Angel. When I reached the peak of the ridge, I was taking the climbing skins off my skis without removing the skis. When I was young, this acrobatic trick was routine. Nowadays, my flexibility and balance are greatly diminished, so of course in the middle of pulling off the skins, I fell over -plop!- into the deep snow. As any snow country kid can tell you, when you are lying in fresh untracked snow there is only one thing to do - move your arms and legs back and forth to make a snow angel. It's a little trickier with skis on, but possible. Afterwards, I had to wallow around a bit to get up on my skis again, so it didn't turn out perfect, but still, it was fun.

I can't believe winter is almost over. I'm leaving early this year so I can do some traveling besides my normal trek to Whidbey Island. I have less than two weeks left here in my winter paradise. I am so sad to see it end, I can't tell you. This has been a fantastic winter. The only downside is that Tom wasn't here the whole time to share it with me.