How Dry

Just "how dry" has this March been? Well, dry enough that the trails are packed hard enough (from lack of new snow) that the joggers are out! Egad!

"Dude - your feet are not properly equipped!" states concerned Zorro.
"Joggers? JOGGERS?!? I refuse to look & acknowledge it!" say in-denial Max.

Typically March is one of the snowiest months for Colorado. But we've had barely a few inches of new snow as of today, March 22nd! March is supposed to alternate between "warm spring days" and "heavy snowfall"; yet all we have really had is "warm spring days" so far. We are praying the last week of March has some good correction to this abnormal pattern!

Anyway, back to today's outing. We skijored up & down Boreas Pass with the following conditions: (1) awful down low - barely any snow and even down to dirt a few times; (2) just enough snow, but choppy conditions, to skijor gently in the mid elevations; and (3) wonderful up high. If only we could start up high....

Cruising by Bakers Tank on the nice, upper terrain:

Wheeee - so nice up high!

But, in the mid elevations, exposed ground was everywhere and, although there was enough snow to ski, we had to keep the speed down due to choppy terrain.

Breckenridge Ski Resort coming into view across the valley.
Snow giving way to exposed ground to our left - eek!
Choppiness on the existing snow - keep it to a gentle jog...

Despite less than ideal conditions down low, it was "toes on snow"....

"I'll take this over 'no snow' any day!" says happy Max.
"It still tastes good too!" demonstrates Zorro chomping down on a snowcone.

A gentle jog up & down Boreas Pass: 9.1 miles traveled with 850 feet of elevation climbed and a top speed of 18 MPH.

2016/2017 Season to Date: 109 days on the trails covering 909.8 miles with 96,600 feet of elevation climbed.

Passing 1300

It took some creativity.... But...

Passing 1300 miles of skijoring for the season this morning on Zorro's 7th birthday - yay!

"Toes on Snow in June - we couldn't ask for much more!" declare the happy pair looking
back at me as I remove the skis to hike the last bit to the trailhead at the end of the day's outing.

The temperatures have really risen the last few days and the "summer melt" is in full swing as the trails are quickly drying up all around us. But, we had to find a June 1st outing for Zorro's birthday - have to have "toes on snow" for birthdays! It took some creativity; but we succeeded on a short 3.5 mile skijor up & down the shady side of the Sally Barber Mine Trail.

Conditions were sketchy most of the day as the following photo was "as good" as it got:

All the toes (and skis) on snow as we trot along one of the few wide patches of snow still
left on the trail.

Despite the conditions, we made it all the way up to Sally Barber Mine!

"We made it!" exclaims happy Max.
"Mine, schmine, the real 'gold' is the white stuff under my toes!" declares Zorro.

You know the season is just about over when your only encounter on the trails is a guy jogging in his summer clothes!

Skis off as we trek across this large section of dirt (this is the only part of this leg of the
Sally Barber Mine Trail that does not get some shade).
Sled dogs, skis and joggers - what does not fit?

All we can say about the morning's outing is, "At least we did it (1300 miles and toes on snow)!" A small 3.5 mile trot with 550 feet of elevation climbed.

2014/2015 Season to Date: 152 days on the trails covering 1301.9 miles with 136,400 feet of elevation climbed.