Wallowas - Day 1

3/1/02

Jon and I met in Biggs, OR for the Thursday evening drive out to La Grande and the posh Super 8 accomodations. Left only a short hop to get to Joseph and the trailhead the next day. The drive in the next morning was amazing with Chief Joseph Mountain and the rest of the Wallowas looming large.

Chief Joseph Mountain just out of Joseph & some amazing terrain.

We met the rest of the crew, Matt & Glenda, Allen & Lisa, Tom, and Scott at the Wildflour Bakery in Joseph for some grub and some local info from Roger of Wing Ridge Ski Tours. After some misdirection caused by an extreme fit of pre-ski mania, we were on our way for the 19 mile drive to Salt Creek Summit Sno-Park.

Glenda & Matt getting ready to hitch their wagons, and Scott feeling pretty good about not havin' one.

Sled-pullin' was the cargo moving design of the day, so we all hooked up our carts and proceeded to drag in about 2 weeks worth of food and spirits . . . our trip was to last 3 nights.

Jon working the pre-departure jones.

The mule train on the move.

An early feel for the sweet powder snow conditions that got even better.

There was an unfortunate preponderance of side-hilling on the skin into the Big Sheep Shelter, so the sleds/beasts were given to sudden and frequent flips and spills that made that mode of transport fairly tedious.

Allen negotiating one of the trickier whoopty's in fine style.

We all made it in - in various states of rage and exhaustion, but were soon lulled by the new snow that was starting to fall and a warm fire started by Allen, Lisa, & Tom - the first enthusiasts to reach the huts.

Post arrival conference at Big Sheep Shelter.

After a warm up we were all fairly chomping at the bit to get out and make some turns. Tom, Allen, Lisa, & Scott were first out and did a sweet job of highway building for the rest of us.

Jon trudging up the track as the snow continues to fall.

They managed to top out on the ridge immediately behind the hut, but failing light and energy stopped the rest of us just short and we went ahead and dove into the goods. The fresh that was falling was over a still fairly unconsolidated base so the turns were really nice. Hit some open stuff above the trees then into some fairly dense vegetables, then finally through some leftover snags in a big burn above the huts. The skiing was great.

Jon getting weightless in the light stuff.

"No need to slow down for trees anymore now that I've got this Camaro-Crash-Helmet."

Matt making it look easy as always.

Jon getting in deep in the snags.

Tom busted one of his bindings on the way down - an event that could have placed a fairly significant wet blanket on his skiing for the weekend - but Allen had another set in the car back at the trailhead. So under darkness and progressively heavier falling snow he started out for the Alan's rig.

The kitchen tent features were amazing and we were all warmed up and fed in short order. We looked for Tom's return some time after 10ish so we were all fairly surprised when he popped in way before that. He had decided to make the stab back to the trailhead in the morning - the snowfall being much heavier than any of us had anticipated, and there was record-setting cold forecast for the night.

We dove into the sizeable booze supply and managed to put not a very large dent in it. By about 8pm I was pretty done and turned in. The night was spent trying to fine-tune the heat situation in the sleep tent. My first wakeup found the tent temp at twenty-something and I restoked. When I woke again at 4ish the temp in the tent was 17 degrees!

Go To Day Two

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