Glass Mountain Trek

Glass Mountain Summit

11,160', 3,402m

12.07.11

 We don't need to be on the Humboldt-Toiyabe to get things done.

What two Backcountry HT Ladies decided to do instead of ski the groomers. 

There was some snow on the "official" cross country route, so we planned our own route which eventually met up with the cross country route.  We found it once we were almost to the summit.

All in all, it is one of the distinct peaks in the Glass Mountain Range that can be seen when in the Long Valley Caldera, and if looking Southeast from Mammoth.   The route we took was mainly soft pumice, and soft-silty soil mixed with pine needles.  As we got higher, the pumice got a bit bigger in size.  It was a great calf-building exercise.  I recommend trekking poles and microspikes.  It got to be snowy and frozen granular at the summit.   What a fun day!

Summit Post's Write-up

Heidi taking photos

Mashed Potatoes

A collection of random things I've seen since September on.

Hat says, "Carson Ranger District, We do it Right the First Time".
Don't know who's hat it was... 

Of Wheels and Used Bikes

I am in the process of moving and didn't have time to true my front road bike wheel.  So I took it to my local bike shop, Big Daddy's, in Gardnerville, NV.

As I opened the door, it made a jingle noise, and I looked down at a bell attached to a 11 tooth chain ring.  I reveled in the finer details of life as I walked in to the back to wait by the shop to pick up my wheel.

As I was waiting to pay, and old man with an accent and a younger Asian woman were asking crazy questions about front baskets, and the phone was ringing and the UPS truck was there.  When it rains it pours on a typically non-busy day of the week for a little bike/ski shop.  There was the hint of tri-flow in the air. There were new skis on the wall ready for the snow to come. I paid the respectable $10 fee (and he would have done it for me right then and there the day I brought it in) and left a happy customer.

As I walked out, the bell jangled again, and I stepped out into the crisp, warm fall air  of Nevada with a little grin on my face and an ache in my heart for the bike shops of my life that I miss.

From Olympic Bike Shop in Tahoe City, CA

It brought me back to a month ago, when I got to pick out a used bike from a retired couple North of Reno. I had responded to a craigslist ad.  I promptly got a phone call from a Southern accented woman.  She said, "oh come on up and if you don't like this one, we have many more to choose from. It's my husband's hobby".

I really wanted the pink GT Tequesta because I love those old GTs. It was for someone with a much shorter inseam than I.

The husband was somewhat deaf, and the wife had to repeat herself. He insisted on wheeling the bikes out the the road for me to try them.  His gait uneven, and myself having worked with the elderly, just hoped he didn't fall and hurt himself.

After having gone for a spin on a bike that merely distracted me, that I didn't need, as the style was not what I was looking for (baby blue Schwinn 5 speed who's model slips my mind), the wife excitedly told her husband, "Honey, this is the girl that works in the [Wild-ER-nis]."

Although being hard of hearing, he immediately corrected her pronunciation and wheeled the Schwinn back to the garage.

"We like going over Ebbetts Pass," she said. "Every year we take our camper and camp near the wilderness."

"We came from poor roots, and now we couldn't be more blessed," she went on. "We just love to go on trips with our camper and we even buy bikes on our vacation.  People can't believe we bring them back with us, but we just love it, " she added.

They said they get a lot of University of Nevada students coming to pick out bikes, and I'd surely find one I like.  The whole back yard was divided up into $100 range bikes, $200 range bikes, and the higher priced bikes.

"The students like the fixies," the wife said.

The husband adjusted the bike in the stand that I decided to buy.  A Peugot mountain bike, oddly, Made In Canada, just like my other used bike back in VT (A CCM 3 speed bike).

"Come back next time you're ready to buy a different bike," she said with a sweet smile.

The husband was all ready to take the front wheel off and try to lift the bike onto my roof, but I insisted I do it.

"She really knows her stuff, this girl, " he said to his wife.

I apologized for getting there after dinner, and thanked them for their time.

"Anytime dear," she said. "We do this for fun. It's his hobby. Good luck with your travels."

Can't San Fransisco people get their own "Put some fun between your legs" stickers
 instead of taking mine off my bike at a music festival? 

If it weren't dark out I would have taken a photo that would adequately have documented this experience.

 Instead I have the photo of the top tube and sticker that I so happily put on my "new" bike for my Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival ride across Golden Gate Bridge. Which on the second day of the event (I surmise) got stolen off my bike by a bike valet, who's job it was to protect my bike.  So my next sticker will be "fuckyoubikethief",which my co-worker with the USFS has on her bike.  Maybe I'll just have back up of these stickers from Local Motion, if they still make them.

Oh the places you'll go.



Sidenote: 
My used bicycle had thorns in the tires, causing a flat on the Golden Gate Bridge on the way to see my favorite old time country singer, Merle Haggard.  Prior to that the rear wheel wasn't in the dropout all the way.  We saw 2 1/2 Haggard songs due to me having to keep stopping to pump my tire up.

With that aside, I still am fond of the retired bicycle fixer-uppers.  The fact that they are late 70s or older and still fixing bikes, going on vacations, and using the internet to sell bikes is a big kudos to them from myself.

We got a tube at the festival from the Luna Chix race manager. Crazyyyyyy.  And I now have new tires (from Big Daddy's) and room for 2 of the 3 bikes I have out here on my car.

Adventure Cycling Route Network Connecting Public Lands

Very cool.

Adventure Cycling Route Network Connecting Public Lands

Go Ahead, Jump!

This is a post about exactly what it sounds like.

Everywhere I've ever worked, except maybe all the outdoor stores... er I guess not at VYCC... okay maybe just at the Nursing Home I worked at in highschool and part of college... people took "Smoke Breaks".  Well Sarah and I, as Carson-Iceberg Wilderness Rangers Extradinare, though Jump Breaks were WAY better.

As my season comes to an end and I debate what should I be consuming my time with now... a simple Van Halen song may inspire me to just go for it. Whatever it maybe. 

Mt Rose

Ebbetts Pass South

I did a 7 or 8 mile mini trip South on Ebbetts Pass to Noble and Asa Lakes. Noble isn't within the Wilderness Boundary, but that's where I camped.  The whole time I had "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros in my head. So play that and enjoy.

Noble Lakes

I went to Maine. Ayut.

I went to Maine for the wedding of my two beloved UMaine Alfond Arena friends.  I made my way from Boston, up to Dover, NH where a handsome young chap picked me up at the train station and took me out on the town.  From there we ventured to a cabin on a lake, then Portland, Maine to TamTam's new house and the Old Port... Where things were SO amazing that we didn't even take photos.
Thanks again to all that helped and made me smile in that branch of the trip! I'll be back. Soon.

My rental car and I left TamTams and set forth with Maine plates to Belfast, Maine for the wedding of two of my favorite people.  It was beautiful and well-thought out, and fun as expected.

Then I meandered along up through to Orrington and Fields Pond to just see if anything had changed, but the two tall pines still stood. Didn't get to catch up with the Beal's- we tried!!!

In Orono, Jim and I went biking (with my bike, but a loaner) to hit the root filled trails of bliss. It was mud-tastical.  Followed by beer with some of the Rose Bike Crew now and then.  And Bicycle Bob missed out on the ride, so maybe we'll have to execute planning better next time.

Well this was Cambridge, MA the day after the big 4th birthday 

Passes Are Closing

Ebbetts Pass, almost to the summit. 

89 Monitor Pass and 4 Ebbetts Pass are closing tonight for "Storm Preparation" (so maybe temporary, but for winter for sure will be soon enough).  Perhaps I will prepare for the GRE and winter myself.  God knows I need to make a life-sized, freshie snow angel.

Too bad my chains are in Mammoth and I am Subaru-less, but not for long!

Happy Fall! Hope to get back to Vermont for a bit. Keep posted!

Snow Angels for Peace in snow off of Ebbett's Pass Last week.

Silvia's Gear Review: 2011 ...

I have always thought it would be awesomely amazing to write up Product Reviews, particularly about bikes, but hiking is my job, so backpacking gear reviewer?  I may have better writing samples than this one available... anyone?  I am the perfect candidate to product test.  I take care of my things, but I manage to break things anyhow. Thus, the perfect person to test gear. 

This gear I actually haven't field tested yet, for reasons and circumstances I care not to discuss. I have spent a lot of time making sure that all the parts are included, and have set them up in the yard.

Here we go!


1.  Northface 2-3 person Pup-tent.
Poles: Really big aluminum poles maybe 2 feet long each section.
Material: Something not sil-nylon
Manufactured: USA
Weight: 6 pounds easy

Thoughts: Wow, this tent must be waterproof! But it is just starting to rain here.  My main concern is that it won't fit in my pack. I haul so much anyway that the weight of this tent is no concern.  I mean, seriously, when was the last time you bought a tent (other than the ones people make for thru-hikers) that was Made In the USA.  I should send this tent to Melissa in AZ. Will it solve her Made In The USA dilemma?

But oh wait! I don't need to worry about it fitting in my own backpack.

2. Camp Trails External Frame Adjustable Backpacks (disregard the Mt. Smith packs on the left)

 Material: Heavy duty nylon packcloth
Weight: 3.5 lb

Thoughts:
I can use a cotter-pin to adjust the shoulder straps! And I can pack a ton of tools and ginormous things to the outside.  It has big roomy pockets for my 4 pound radio.  Negative: no where for my water bladder, just water bottles.  The hip belt sure is comfy.

3. Headlamp and Fire Shelter
It was standard to have to carry a fire shelter, but  maybe this one is a little outdated.
And what kind of batteries do I have to carry for this headlamp? Whoa!

Summary:
Good Gear Lasts a long time, as you keep the mice out... and obviously this isn't a real review at all. I was asked to go through the gear my district has. These were some of the star finds.

Seriously, these packs are a critical part of backpacking and gear design! At one point in backpacking evolution there were 6 packs. Now you go into a store and you can't avoid talking to someone about packs. There's different torso lengths, different pockets, ones with tons of padding, ones for UL (oh sorry, ultralight), kids packs. Craziness.

 The headlamp and fires shelter were just little bonuses in my chore of purging the gear storage for work. The packs are tried and true for hauling a lot of gear, but if someone can tell me when North Face last made tents in the USA I'll be elated.  North Face (sorry guys) of all companies with roots in lovely California, actually had tents made in the USA at some point.  If they made their first tent in 1974 or 1975 (they did), and it was a Geodosic tent, meaning it was a geometric dome shape. Bob Howe, is an amazing tent designer. It inspires me to go back to school for design instead of Recreation Administration.

Either way, it was quite fun to see a little part of Backpacking History.

First person to tell me the model and year of this tent, gets something awesome, yet small mailed to them!  If I get the answer first, then you'll just have to pat yourself on the back.

Awesome History of Gear Webite
The History of Gear Project .  I would put in a quote from it, but just read it for yourself.  Especially the section, "Why Does Anyone Care About Old Gear?".

Ebbetts Pass North on the PCT

Early September, my Supervisor and I did a tiny section of the PCT for "Wilderness Lake Monitoring".  We started at Ebbetts Pass/Route 4 and hiked North past Kinney Lakes and into the Mokelumne Wilderness.

 It was other-wordly.  The 'Northern California Pacific Crest Trail' book by Schaffer says, "...your trail bends noreast up to a broad ridge to begin an incredible route past one of the most bizarre, yet beautiful, landscapes to be seen along the PCT...your odyssey continues with a diagonal comb north to a windcropped sagebrush saddle...".

Land Before Time



Why We Build the Wall

I've had a few weekends of office work, with a computer looking at a wall.  The Fire Prevention Officer shut the lights out on me one Sunday.  I said loudly, "Nope!", and he popped his head in and said, "Sorry didn't realize you were in here. We're going to have to cut a window infront of your desk so people know you're in here".

Haven't done that yet. But I did get to listen to a good ETown, from Burlington, VT episode.  The last song is Anais Mitchell and "Why We Build the Wall".  I love this song!

She Walked in the Wilderness with a Shovel

Farewell to my co-worker, Sarah, and enjoy your new adventures.

It is always a bold and daring move to...well... move across the country after quitting your job... to do a Student Conservation Corps internship, and then go back to school.   I was very fortunate to have such a wonderful person to hike with all summer who did just this.

I went to Utah and ...

all I took was pictures from the summit of Snowbird. And my cousin Chris took pictures of the tick he pulled off of my scalp.  Awesome! Thanks for the help cuz!

 Chris and his wife had a baby boy recently, so I went to visit.  My Grandma and Aunt flew to Utah. So we went to the top of Snowbird on the tram.

6000' Vertical Work Weekend

So all the lakes in the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness you really have to work at to get to. There are less lakes than the Inyo, and people who want to go to them are either determined, or have pack animals!  We wished we had a pack llama named ... Edgar... (I just picked his name just now) to haul our tools. 

Either way, there's a lot of fishing in the CI, but a lot of areas in the Southern Region that are protected for two trout species.  The Lahontan Cutthroat Trout and the Paiute Cutthroat Trout.  Where we went hiking was in the border area where you couldn't fish, to where you can.  Tamarack Lake outlet North is fishable. 

Sarah and I added it up... but our work week of 4 days was a lot of up.  But we hiked Mt. Rose (2300') on Friday.

Rare fish sighting in Lake Tahoe 

Work Can Be Distracting

As I sat and struggled with Excel the other day during my "office day" I realized I am lucky to have my job, and that although I often feel like I want to be somewhere that I am not (VT or Inyo where there are "real" peaks), I really shouldn't be complaining.  
 Read the text of the photo below.  The Wilderness I patrol and monitor is very little used.  It is WILD! The bear that was walking toward me sniffing the ground the other day was a perfect example.

There are some days where I'd rather have a faster pace of life, maybe on a bike, maybe at the shores of Lake Tahoe or June Lake, and there are days I want to be with friends.  I started to finally study the GRE (I applied to UVM without this score) in my tent at night.  Each night I think of all the things I want to see and do out here. Ultimately, I feel very far from home, but I am thankful for my friends out here for keeping me occupied and distracted enough not to go home yet.  My summer will be filled with things until mid-August.  Maybe then I'll get to some things on that tick list.  

Until then, I wish you all epic swimming holes and stunning sunsets, and as always the best of times with those you care about.

Stanislaus National Forest's Sonora Pass Trailhead. Part of sign. Leads into the Carson Iceberg Wilderness. My area.

Zoom-a-Flume.... Trail...

Errr... Otherwise know as the Flume Trail. 

From Tahoe to Mammoth to the Mobil Mart!

The river crossings have been really high, and I can't get a lot of my work done.  We have done car camping last weekend, and did day hikes in the Reno/Carson City area in the Mount Rose Wilderness this past weekend.  It is hot. Whew.

Sarah and I took down some bridges that we for sure know someone will be mad about. But no makeshift bridges, other than logs, in wilderness.  We got misted on by a waterfall on Hunter Creek Trail.  This trailhead is really close to the PattyG Outlet.  We were too dirty after taking out bridges to go in.  It's okay.  I know how much all that costs anyway.

Mount Rose from Jones Creek Loop Trail, Mount Rose Wilderness

Silvia goes to Melissa's!

I finally got to Flagstaff. Was a quick trip to see the cuz.

I got to see Dan, my UMaine and Rose Bike alumn.  Thanks Dan for telling us the secret spots to bike in Flagstaff.  I loved the biking in Flagstaff!

Let's just say that 12 hours in the car and a broken camera lense (again) later... I had a good time.  Thanks for the David Sedaris CD Em!

Arizona Trail, Flagstaff, AZ

Carson Valley Livin'

This is a long update...

I have started my new USFS job based out of Carson City, Nevada.  I am living in government housing about 12 miles South on US 395 in Minden.  It is the first time in 2 years that I’ve had to drive to work.   There are no bike lanes on 395.  Carson City has an active bicycle advocacy group I may get involved with. I'm somewhat tired of moving, but this whole year has been an adventure that I never planned. So I'm rolling with it, and making new friends, and missing my family and friends back home as always. 

GLORIOUS Housing behind a gate

Almost Out of Mammoth

Here are some low quality photos of my last week in Mammoth, before starting my Backcountry Ranger job in the Carson Ranger District, 2 hours North. Job starts Monday!  Lots of ACL strain, but it'll be worth it.

Had Mint Juleps and drinks with Lauren (my NEK gal) thanks to Matt, my friend from MAUHS, at the Double Eagle Resort in June Lake.  

Walking with the dogs I was dogsitting

fresh snow a few days ago (it was almost June then) and the dogs like to play

Nordic trail we explored. Still PLENTY of the white stuff here. 

Yes, there is a phone booth, and yes, I had pie.  Steven and I went hiking toward Hilton Lakes, out of Rock Creek Road, and the trail was all snow. ALL SNOW!

Biking in the Caldera

Last Friday, Greg, Julia and I decided to do some biking. I was hesitant to do a trail because I didn't want to tweek my knee, and Julia was using a bike she'd never used before so... Long Valley Caldera exploring was the answer.

Long Valley Caldera is about 20 miles long and 10 miles wide, and is one of the largest caldera's on Earth. And I live 15 minutes away.

We were questing for Little Hot Creek, and clearly went by the side road. But we parked at the Hot Creek site and biked down into the Caldera more and hung a left on 2S07 which ends up going all the way back to 395 if you want it to. We would have been far from our car, and didn't care to make a loop out of it.   Normally it'd be really hot along this road, but the partial cloud cover and later storm, made for a beautiful ride as usual.

2S07 in all it's wide gravel glory

I didn't ride my bike today because it snowed...

But I checked out a blog that I liked...from Jed's facebook link.  I wanted to see the wicked WICKED awesome stuff he did in Alaska.

Apparently, Jed went to UMaine, and is friends with my friends, the Jolly's, and lived in Orono, as did Ryan (now in Bishop), as is Jed.  Does this make sense. Basically, we all were there roughly at the same for at least 6 months. We maybe bumped into each other.  Jed's name was familiar. So I looked it up, and go figure, my UMaine/Eastside connection.

Anyhow, his friend's Blog is pretty great.

from his blog, Eastside Scott!

Bike to Work! Fool!

It's National Bike Month! It's half over!

Next week, May 16-20th is Bike To Work Week, and the 20th... if you're lazy the whole rest of the week is Bike To Work Day!


So here's some photos from one of my favorite places, telling y'all to get out there and ride.

All My Free Time

So when you are injured... or when I am injured... I go online and imagine the things I want to do, could be doing, and will be doing. In case you have free time, and are interested in what I am... this is what I did tonight instead of watching the Wings game, and after putting bike trays on my car, cleaning my bike, installing a new front brake caliper and cables, and hot tubbing.  I have a bum knee- results of MRI are Tuesday- so humor me.

What I learned today was that a famous ski mountaineer, Kip Garre, and his partner died on the Eastside recently on this same run that Christian Pondella and others did earlier this April. Here is the Powder Magazine article and the Backcountry Magazine article about the incident.

Split Couloir was the Couloir of the Year in Backcountry Magazine. It was featured in Chris Davenport's new book, "50 Classic Ski Decents of North America".  The night Davenport was in Mammoth for his movie "Austrails", this winter, I looked around the room and it was filled with people far more skilled than I in the ski mountaineering and backcountry world.  It was intimidating, yet , amazing to sit there and absorb it all. It is such a sad day when someone in the ski community dies.  The SAR in the Eastern Sierra's is very connected to everyone here, and do such important work and depend upon each other so much. Kudos to them.

.    




Photo: Brennan Lagasse collection, and from Powdermag.com.
The Couloir is he one under the word "mag"

Another couloir, East Couloir, was featured in Powder earlier this month.  I think it'll be years and years before or IF I do anything of the Split Mountain level. Years! Before these two people died below Split Couloir there were a series of blogs detailing it. I read these things and just am in awe. Always. Blog of the guys that ran into Pondella and John Morrison. Morrison's blog.

Then I came across other posts on Unofficial Squaw and this post about a mono skier, and it got me looking back at my winter volunteering with Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra and how volunteers that work with sit skiers are just amazing people-- and of course the person skiing is amazing.
  It also kind of makes me want to go to Alpine Meadows a ton. It's on the other side of Squaw.  I hope that my knee heals and I can help people who are healing or are learning to ski and ride.  I sure do miss the BART Center too.   The video is bigger if you go to the actual Unofficial Squaw link above.

 

And then I started dreaming of the EPIC Mammoth Winter I did get to play in.

And finally... I drifted off to powdery dreams, and dreams of drivetrains shifting smoothly and tires somehow grabbing the pumice, and of new leg armor so my knees never hurt again.

Sidenote: This blog was a draft for sometime. So please when speaking of amazing, look up my friend, Jeremy McGhee's ascent and decent of Bloody Couloir this May 2012 in Mammoth Lakes, CA.

Ski Touring and the Chronicles of my Left Knee

Hello Out There.

A week ago I was going to go ski with Jon from work. I had no one to ski tour with Saturday, and he was kind enough to be like, "You know what, let's go do McGee". Wee in the AM Saturday, Jon calls, and says something like, "Please forgive me, but I can't move my legs, I have to cancel".  Jon does insane things in tight spandex and when he's not doing the so-called "Rando Races", he is still doing crazy things. I'm just flattered he was willing to go with me.

I ended up just going out my front door to the Sherwins. Simple and when by yourself, sticking to trees is great, especially for someone like me with minimal avalanche training.  I still took my beacon, but there was not a soul in sight, until the parking lot at 12:30 when I finished.

The "Tele Bowls"- my line is there somewhere

All Stars

Thinking back to the Mammoth Biathlon Weekend and the Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra/Wounded Warrior Project that weekend puts a big smile on my face.

Having people with such big hearts around you, really makes life enjoyable. It was such a memorable weekend of cross country skiing and just playing in the snow.  Finishing the race with a smile on everyone's face is always the best part.

Devon and RickyD! Love these guys.

Amy's Moving!

My USFS Mammoth gals are moving away it seems. Amy worked in Lee Vining this summer. She was the only girl living in the barracks with Steven and I when I moved here.  She was here this winter and her, Mary and I played outside a lot.  Goodluck in Wyoming Amy!!!!

After staying up rather late the night before, we thought we'd skin or boot up Earthquake Dome...

First 20 Miler of the year

Went up 168 out of Bishop up toward Lake Sabrina.  Gradual climb, probably 1000' at least. Check out the map. I didn't finish the ride to the lake, but maybe next week.  Whew! First Ride o the year! 

I just need some sweet pants

Whoops, what was I thinking?

There will be no grilling going on for a few days...

 But there will be more skinning... Where'd Barrett go?

Steak anyone?

My snow is melting.  Someone teach me how to use this grill!

Squaw on April Fools!

Thanks to numerous people, Amy, Mary and I were able to make our last ski trip together of the season happen.

We adventured to South Lake Tahoe, but didn't ski. We almost did get some vouchers from Juanito or Tati... whoever they are.

89 North was open through Emerald Bay and we got some great shots and wished we had just skiied up and down Mt. Tallac.

Yeah Emerald Bay the only day is was open!

The Past 3 Days (not counting the Biathlon)

Great Thing About Living Here: Is there is always more ice cream in there (Jen, like my desktop?)

Our Ink is out at Work, so I can get artistic (right...hmm...) and draw in the danger rose

Lunchtime Nordork Sessions

The beauty of living close to a trail.  The beauty of new fluffy snow.  The beauty of skiing back to work.
1 hour lunches are pretty great.  It's hard to go back to work...

 I definitely need some wider waxless skis someday. Took out the Fischer S-Bounds 112.  Couldn't really turn on the downhills. Got 4 solid tele turns down and sank, BUT it was super.

I love Visitors

Chantrelle came to visit on her road trip back East to Maine. It was great to see a Maine Outing Club friend!!! We did a lot of adventuring. 

XC skied to Mineret Vista

Look What I Saw At Work

Sometimes it is fun to take in skis at work for repairs and such.  Last week I got to see the Bomber Tele binding, the Bishop, which is no longer produced.  It was pretty sweet.

I also got to help Glen Plake try on black softshell pants, but we don't have the photo. You'll just have to confirm with Jon and Mr. Evers.

YaR! Wooden Planks and Saddles!

My co-worker is very handy in metal arts, and wood carving... and free climbing and coffee roasting.... and I'm sure there's more.  So I couldn't help but notice the uncomfortable looking, yet amazing work of art his commuter bike has on it. 

It even has a "comfort channel" but he says it's still pretty uncomfortable. It is wood afterall.

Seen and Heard on the Hill

Sasquatch? 

I apologize. These are all taken with my phone or a low quality digital H20 proof camera

Attempt at Tele...alone...in powderrrrrr

So Friday was a good day...

I borrowed some Got Back's with BD 01s from work.  I did miss the sun from the morning, and caught the weather in between storm systems.  I decided to create my own skin track and avoid the snowmachines (yes snowmachines, Philp) that were going up the right side of the Tele Bowls and Punta Bardini.   I went to the left and toured through the MotoX track and then tucked in up through the trees.

Oh just leaving from my house 

View near MotoX Track

What I was looking at when T called. Kind of looks like Vermont. Part of the Sherwin Range.

 Oh! And Tristan called me from Vermont on my skin out! See the Tele Bowls in the middle?  It was good to catch up quickly.  I miss home everyday.  As far as skiing, I didn't do any high aspects or anything, as I was by myself. The 01s are more fun to use than my non-tourable BD 03s.  My Avi gear arrives Friday! Woo! Avalanches? What are those?