Wonderous Weekend Wandering Within Wallowa Wilderness

photo credit: fixiewrek

Drove down to Joseph, Oregon last Thursday to meet up with a solid crew of good friends to ski tour in the Eagle Cap Wilderness with the Wallowa Alpine Guides. After getting to the yurts we were all blown away by the fresh snow and comfortable digs our guides set up, including warm sleeping yurts, a dining yurt, and sauna yurt (ahhhh...). The powder was unreal! Light and fluffy, yet substantive enough to carve to your hearts content.

Friday was blue skies with intermittent storms blowing through and we climbed high up on Hidden Peak for a full day of fresh lines and glorious views. Saturday it DUMPED all day with sustained 20 mph winds and 60 mph gusts. Because avy danger was so high we stayed in the trees and got in 7000 vertical feet of fresh powder turns.

Sunday, the sun returned and we headed back to Hidden for more luscious pow. It was so sad to leave by lunch. We all wanted at least another week, as the company was so good, the setting brilliant, and skiing soooo sweet. Next year's trip is already in the works, and if anyone wants a guided backcountry trip, I heartily recommend Connelly and his crew at the Wallowa Alpine Guides. They truly kick ass.

Also, if you want to see more exciting photos or read more tales, make sure to check out the Java Sport and Gritty Kitty blogs linked to this page for trip reports, and Fixiewrek's photo page linked to my photo page.

Riding and Rolling

Been back in Missoula for a quick fling and will be heading out again soon. On Saturday I rode up Pattee Canyon and back for a 22 mile trip, doubly up and down muddy, slushy, and scenic roads. Went to Discovery on Sunday and got in some turns with Jim Wilson, who runs a local gear shop and is fun fellow. It snowed ultralight powder almost all day, so each run got better and better.

Going to Hell & Looking for Metalheads

Or visiting Hell's Canyon and fishing for steelhead...

It's been a great weekend, getting to know Idaho a little better and spending time with Gerry, who so kindly took me fishing. It's just about the end of steelhead season, and they are playing hard to get, but Gerry knew right what to do in order to get into 'em. What a blast! Hooking into these finicky fish is a real rush, especially when you have to work for it soooo hard. We jet-boated up and down the Salmon River back-trolling and casting salmon eggs from shore. At one point I hooked a big hog and it started pulling out line from my reel and fighting with mighty jerks, but alas my hook wasn't set well enough and it got away. Must have been at least 40 inches (wink wink).

After fishing on Saturday I set out to find Pittsburg Landing on the Snake River deep in Hell's Canyon. What a gorgeous place! The road was muddy, tight, narrow, and long but it was well worth it. Saw a herd of elk on a steep hillside above the river and tons of deer. The landscape is really steep, and I got there right as the sun was setting so everything was somber and majestic.

After fishing today I forgot my coat in Gerry's rig and had to drive 2 hours to Lewiston each way to go pick it up. It took so long because there was a blizzard on the highway. Yikes. Visibility was really bad in some places with so much snow falling, and going around a couple corners my subie slid out on the snow, sending me into the oncoming lane even though I was only going 30 mph. I had to crank the wheel and floor it to keep from going into the ditch. Fortunately it was late and no one else was on the road. That was scary, and now I'm seriously thinking about snow tires... The drive over Lolo Pass should be interesting tomorrow!

Tiiiimbaaar!!!!

Today I met up with a couple coworkers, a timber sale administrator and a safety officer, and we inspected a logging operation above Elk City. The logging is being done as part of a stewardship contract to thin areas of crowded lodgepole pine, whose proceeds go to instream restoration on the Forest. Because the weather is so warm right now, the frost is thawing on the logging roads so the logging trucks can't make any runs to the mill. If they did they would do too much damage to the roads, creating big ruts and mud bogs, so we had the muddy/slushy/icy roads to ourselves (phew!), despite there being at least 50 loads ready to go on various landings in the sale area.

On the drive up we saw a moose running across a frozen river, tons of white-tailed deer, some river otters, turkeys, and bald eagles. Very cool. While we were up there we chatted up the loggers, checked out the machinery and their trails, and watched them working away. It was very interesting to check out the bad-ass machines and talk to the friendly loggers. On the drive back we saw a bunch of elk, and talked about the state of the agency's timber program today. There is still a lot of conflict, and the values run deep. All I can say is that I believe how we do timber today is an excellent example of democracy in action. No one is getting their way completely...

Talkin' terse on the Nez Perce

The days are flying by here in Idaho, and I'm loving the setting: Rolling hills, carved up by steep valleys, with rivers and streams in all directions. Yesterday I went with some colleagues to the Red River ranger district, based out of Elk City, which used to be a timber and mining town. The town is at the end of a long and winding road from Grangeville, and has definitely seen better days. What it still really has going for it are nice forests full of wildlife & hotsprings, endless trails, and gorgeous rivers and streams full of fish.

We were there to begin rolling out a new travel management plan, where roads will go from being open to vehicles unless otherwise posted to closed unless otherwise posted. Where we've done this in other parts of the country locals have usually grumbled heartily, and the Elk City Dust Devils will probably not appreciate the new rules either. But, it's got to be done...

After work I went on a great walk with fellow biologist Dana and her black lab along a long ridgetop overlooking the Clearwater River. Ahhhh..... Very nice.

Strangeville Grangeville

Got an alpine start to get to Grangeville, Idaho this morning where I'll spend the next week and a half on the Nez Perce National Forest. The drive on Hwy 12 and 13, over Lolo Pass, took about 4 hours going nice and slow. The drive was mouthwateringly gorgeous, with delicious, twisty curves mile after mile. As a bonus, there was no traffic and hardly any ice on the road.

The sun rose slowly over the mist and fog-shrouded trees covering the rolling mountains, and lit up the Clearwater River with its thin and winding rivulets meandering through a frozen channel. Otherwise, today was all meetings and background, getting to know the basics of the Forest fisheries program here.

Welcoming weekend with waterfalls without winter weather

Missed a powder day today, and I feel a little sad about that. But, today was the way I wish most of my saturdays would be. Easy going, hearty breakfast and java, good company, good tunes, no rush, yet getting out and ending up completely worked and exhilerated in the mountains. In the end home by 6 with a whole evening for whatever.

Today was climbing with Brett at Graineater and Mule Palace, up Finley Creek. Simply a most excellent day, with multipitch climbing up a big waterfall and top-roping an ultra-stout mixed route. Enough can't be said about the 30 min drive, door to trailhead. Missoula is a hidden gem. Anyway, I digress. The weather was very warm, like 20's with lots of sunshine and little wind. Hopefully I'll still find some pow tomorrow.