Mr S Records Our Adventures

We drove up to Badger Pass ski area from Yosemite Lodge, about 45 scenic winding minutes to get to the snow.  Those in the know will be able to tell from this shot that there is, in fact, not much snow to be had.  Many many places where the trail gets a wee bit muddy.  We used to call this spring skiing, and it used to happen in April.  Now we are calling it snow shoeing, and beginning to worry about the drought. 

I was all set to cross country ski, but the guy in the shop talked me out of it: icy, trees down from the weekend’s horrendous wind storm, debris on the trail, no tracks because they can’t get the machines up there til they cut the downed trees...the final nail was learning that they brought in three injured skiers recently.  Okay, I got it. Snowshoes all around. Definitely not my first love, but perfect for the conditions.  Crunch, crunch—no chance of falling. Crunch, crunch—up the steep icy hill we go.  

It was sunny and fairly warm, a lovely clear day to be in the woods. Quiet, but for us and a few birds. And at the top, a fantastic view of the Sierras.  The leftmost grey rounded shape, just before that thin grey dead tree, is Half Dome; the Clark Range stretches to the right. We sat up here eating lunch and trying to name all the peaks. It was definitely the best time I’ve ever had on snowshoes. And, yes, I’m exhausted.