week after blues?

two of our local snow gurus have posted a full incident report on the avalanche fatality on "little shields" on the GCAC website. no, neither of these guys are the USFS forecasters (i would not have used "gurus" then, now would I.) it is vivid and indeed sad in the account of what transpired. and most importantly, it showed the power of wind load, and small amounts of buried weak layers. it also,to my surprise talked about a significant amount of new snow in the area, that i was not aware had fallen. it pays to do your research of local weather obs, remote weather stations, and forecasts (when they are relevant. if they are not, then try calling anyone you know who might have a better idea). although the victim was very knowledgeable of the area he went to, the conditions were consideable above 6000'. this was an unfortunate event that almost seems like a timebomb waiting to go off. i least that is my feeling after reading the full report.

as for the rest of us continuing to have some fun.

well, the weather has not been great, cold, windy and trying to snow. maybe a few inches up on the hill, and in the mountains. those few inches can be trouble with the winds that have come with the snow.

the mountain biking is shaping up at our local trails. spencer trails are in good shape, but lower roads are muddy.

pig farms are also fine, with some mud on road sections, but mostly dry.

happy valley, though small, is dry throughout.

i am sure there is some fine riding out of kalispell, i just do not really know the trails down there.

work on the Trail Runs Thru It is set to begin as early as next week. significant progress should be made by early june. there will be some early june group rides and walks to show the progress. i believe in mid july there will be a grand opening.

okay, how about fishing. any of you fisherheads out there want to pitch in on what is going on? i bet there is something happening, on the warm sunny days.

and climbing. this is a great time to head up to eureka and Stone Hill.

so there is plenty to do. no reason to have the blues over the end of ski season. get out there for some other fun.