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| Came and saw but did not conquer |
I bet you’re wondering why I'm writing on a Saturday afternoon.
If you live in Bozeman, all you have to do is look out your window and you’ll
know the answer. It’s 45+ degrees outside with grey skies and it has been drizzling
rain on and off all day. My plan was to ski tour from the Chestnut Mountain
trailhead to the Goose Creek trailhead. While I have skied Goose Creek often, I
have never approached it from the opposite end. It seemed like a good
objective, and I was keen on skiing something new.
People are fond of saying that any day in the mountains and
on skis is a good day, but we all know not every day can be prefect. While today
was far from being a bad day, it one of those days when the mountain won. It
was not a crushing defeat by any means. No gear or body parts were broken or
even damaged, and my ego made it through the outing unscathed. It was just one
of those days when a goal to tackle a mountain was not met. Not that this is a
contest, but if you’re keeping score, today I did not end up the victor.
Goose Creek is a backcountry ski spot close to town. It is
an easy approach to the ridge, which offers skiing in a big meadow. The
ridge continues towards the Chestnut Mountain trailhead and offers
additional skiing in the trees and a few more meadows for those willing to
spend the time finding them. While I have biked the ridge and skinned along a bit of it, I have never done
the entire thing on skis.
By starting from the Chestnut Mountain trailhead, the skier
is treated to 2,500+ feet of skinning over the first 4.5 miles. The traverse
across the ridge back to Goose Creek, about two to three miles I estimated, has
a few ups and downs but no major elevation changes until the meadow. Seeing as
ski conditions weren’t great (Once again we’ve been plagued with little snow
and warm temps), I thought it made sense to do the ski in this direction. As I
saw it, it presented the chance to get in some good exercise and if conditions
were bad, it would only be a short ski down a low-angle meadow towards the end.
As I packed for the ski the night before, I pictured clear
skies, a lunch break with sunshine and great views, happy skiers doing laps in
the meadow as I ended my tour, and an easy hitch back to my car. This was not
to be.
Conditions were promising as I started skinning from the trailhead.
Coverage was solid, which was good to know given the low elevation of the
trailhead, and I was very pleased to see that the trail had received little
traffic. About 20 minutes into the ski, it started to drizzle. Within
a few minutes, I saw my soft shell jacket getting dotted with rain so I
switched to my hard shell jacket hoping the rain would pass. It did stop for a
bit but started up again in a few minutes. After a few more spells of rain and
some strong wind, I decided to call it a day. The idea of doing the entire ski,
by myself no less, in the drizzle and wind was becoming more unappealing with
every step I took. I didn’t imagine too many people were skiing the meadow at
Goose Creek so my chances for camaraderie with other skiers and an easy hitch back to my car were slim. And who wants
to end a ski in the rain with a long walk down a lonely road hoping for a ride?
While my wish to ski new terrain and traverse the ridge were
put on hold, it was still a good day. I got in three hours of exercise, now
have a better feel for ski possibilities on Chestnut Mountain, and was able to
spend time on my skis in the mountains. I saw only two parties along the way
but lots of signs of moose (or was it elk?). A majestic bald eagle
flew overhead at one point, seemingly un-phased by the bad weather. Chestnut
Mountain might have won this time but a I do intend to go back and even the
score. Stay tuned!
February 7, 2015 update: I (foolishly?) tried to traverse Chestnut Mountain today. I brought Rob Edwards along for the adventure hoping that having a partner would motivate me to push through despite the conditions. What was I thinking? It's hardly snowed since my last attempt and temperatures continued to be warm so it is little wonder the trail was a mess. Bare patches are starting to appear and the remaining snow has turned to solid ice! Unless the winter turns around and we have epic storms coupled with cooler weather, it looks like I'll have to put this tour on hold until next winter. Stay tuned once again.
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