58° this morning. It's been warm in the mornings the past week. The monsoon moved back in last night in a big way. Good thing, as September is usually dry. Any moisture we can get is a good thing.
I did some calculations and figured out that if I get in four more days of skiing this summer that will make 500 in the last three years. A nice round number. The number isn't that big a deal, but it makes you get out there which creates more experiences and enhances life. Decided to knock one off up the pass west of home. Beautiful evening hike up to Dorothy Lake with intermittent rain showers. The light was going off up top. Elaine decided to leave the skis at home for this one, while I scampered over the rocks and around the lake up to the snowfield under Neva.
A bit steep on the slope so I dug a little trench for my skis and gingerly put them on. First turn, swoosh! Stella was in a frenzy of excitement running this way and that. She sure likes snow. Only about a dozen turns, but good ones at that. Elaine got some good perspective shots from the hill across from the snowfield. It felt to be back on snow, and gave a little preview of the winter to come.
Heading back down, we had to layer up as the cold was biting. Two layers of wool and a anorak pull-over does the trick. I've noticed in the late evening the birds on the tundra sing a chorus and flutter this way and that. We used our night vision to find our way back to the car, through the deep, dark woods near the trailhead. I cooked up some homemade Chinese Noodles with onions, green beans and chicken for dinner and we watched the meteor shower from deck outside the cabin. A great evening.
Today will be a day for digging a ditch that will allow our well to go straight into the house. We're tossing a push back system on the pipes to prevent freezing, and then running all that inside where it will be warm in the winter. The final step will be insulating as much as possible. Hoping to get back up to the divide this evening for an evening hike into the alpenglow. Always good to get up there on a Sunday evening after the crowds have cleared out, pick up trash, and leave the place pristine again.
Got to start the day off right though. Blueberry pancakes with maple links and Vermont maple syrup tends to do the trick.
Alta Backcountry 