The trouble with rivers

I thought it was going to be a short day. It wasn't. Mostly on a road, it was still hard with the deep snow, and then the road finished, and then it got dark.

Snowy Howl

Can we shoot
along a route
In time to make Mick happy?
From Krokstand to Virvassnet
we'd better make it snappy

Along the road
the pace is slowed
are more carnivores required?
The scoota tracks end at the dam
now we're getting really tired

Hear Graeme's howl
missed snowy owl
sees Kath's triumphant grin
Down to the ill defined river bank
whoops, 2 have fallen in

The rescues done
but there's no fun
in pulk pulling on thro' the night
with iced up feet across the bridge
Virvasshytta's a welcome sight

As it went from dusk to dark Mick and I were out front on different areas of the river bank trying to find a place to cross. I heard a shout as the snow on the bank of the river collapsed under him. As I manoevered my skis to turn round the same happened to me. I was laying against the snow with a hole widening beneath my skis and as I tried to get traction to lift the bindings out of the water I was shifting snow and making a bigger hole. With one tip I determined that the river was not very deep - panic over, but I was anxious not to get wet feet, as they would freeze quickly. With calmer motions I managed to edge up the snow and extricate myself. By this time Mick was also out and as we regrouped I had to admit that the big hole I was standing next to was evidence that I had also been silly enough to find the river.
Lesson learnt Mick and I headed off to find the bridge. But I could get no glide, my bindings, under my skis and where my boots had been in the water were all blocks of ice. Mick had changed to the spare skis, leaving his iced ones with the pulk to be collected tomorrow.