Outlasting the Melt

Very focused boys awaiting their "end of run" chicken chunks.

We continue to "outlast the melt" and live off of Colorado's incredible snowpack for this season. Outlasting the melt has required us to get creative with trail selection; but if you go to the right places, the snowpack is still there; albeit showing signs of melt everywhere... Tuesday & Wednesday found us at Rabbit Ears Pass as the snowpack in and around the pass is still 3+ feet in places! Look closely at the photo to the left... Yes, it was "skijoring in short sleeves" on Tuesday and Wednesday as we are clearly into late spring temperatures while living off the incredible snowpack

Day One: South Day

Tuesday found us our favorite "South Trail" from the top of Rabbit Ears Pass. This trail has an early "elevation climb" and then you get endless miles of relatively flat skijoring through shaded forests and open meadows. Max & Zorro were really into the day as we covered a fast 8.6 miles despite rising temperatures.

Cruising along one of the many open meadows. You can see the "end of the season" happening
at the base of every tree as snowpack under trees is shallower and exposed ground is creeping
out quickly from every tree base.
Max kept scanning the right for "some sort of wildlife", as you see in this photo. But
neither Zorro or I ever found what he was tracking

Happy boys circling around at our turnaround point of the day.
It was a dirty & sticky spring snow; but skijoring on May 27th is amazing!

Everyone was in the mood to cruise as we covered 8.6 miles with 800 feet of elevation climbed. That is a pretty far skijor run for the temperatures of late May!

Day Two: North Day

Wednesday found us on our favorite "North Trail" from the top of Rabbit Ears Pass. This trail is flat early and then quickly changes into an endless climb weaving through the forest around the Rabbit Ears Rock Formation.

Just enough snow to go down low; but the signs of summer are everywhere:
1) A large patch of exposed ground in the grove of trees to our forward/right;
2) A river of breakup going through the meadow to our left.

Our video highlight of the 2 day outing goes along with the theme of most of the photos: just enough snow to go; but spring/summer obstacles appearing everywhere. In the video we are cruising along nicely when an exposed hole in the trail comes upon us unexpectedly. It is a quick "left" to Max & Zorro and a left cut with the skis as we nicely maneuver around the little sink hole. Most of the day was spent surveying the terrain to avoid holes in the trails!

[watch on youtube if no video loads below]

Wednesday's outing found us covering 7.1 miles with 850 feet of elevation climbed.

Considering it was May 27 & 28, it was a very successful 2 days at Rabbit Ears Pass covering 15.7 miles in late May.

2013/2014 Season to Date: 154 days on the trails covering 1329.9 miles with 151,550 feet of elevation climbed.