We started our March out doing something we’ve done frequently over the past couple of months- standing out in the cold and not catching many fish! We visited Rocky Ford, a spring creek just outside of Ephrata known for its hefty rainbow trout. The forecast called for minimal wind, unusual in the barren landscape of Central WA, and sunny albeit cold temps around 29. The sun was pretty finnicky, and of course a stiff breeze decided to accompany us. It was tough fishing, but Shaun managed to get a couple fish in. I was shut out, though I did hook into several and enjoyed seeing the last one leap from the water, fully, as it broke my line. You win some, you lose some. It was still a great day being on a tranquil spring creek with amazing scenery, including this weird bathroom along the way home.
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| Does anyone else see a problem here? |
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Apparently we have Pelicans now?
Yep, that's floating ice
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| Fishing the Crooked River |
So long little Crooked Rainbow
Deschutes rainbow
Deschutes rainbow
Deschutes rainbow |
With the persistent slab avalanche danger finally stabilizing and a sunny day in the forecast, we decided it was time to hit up our favorite touring spot- the Tatoosh Range in MRNP. Our friend Frelan accompanied us, and after negotiating my nemesis, the avy slope above Narada Falls, we were to Reflection Lake in no time, ready to ascend to the saddle between two peaks known as Pinnacle and the Castle. We made pretty good time, despite some variable snow conditions creating some challenging spots for kick turns. When splitboarding, you are to make frequent observations as you climb, both visual and more tactile such as stamping the snow with your poles, running your pole through the snow, and paying attention to how the snow feels under your feet- supportive, hollow, inconsistent or particularly shallow in comparison to other areas, etc. These observations are little clues into what lies beneath, which is the crux of avalanche education and safety. The tests you do in the field are meant to corraborate the homework you have done before you ever arrive and set ski on snow. We monitor weather forecasts frequently and spend the night before looking at weather graphs, plots, and point forecasts as well as reading the avalanche forecasts put forth by the Northwest Avalanche Center (NWAC). For instance, if I wake to frost on my windshield in Gig Harbor, I am already suspicious about a hoar frost layer developing on the snowpack surface in the mountains. Basically, that hairy looking frost creates a potentially very unstable interface between the top layer of the snowpack and any additional snow that may fall during the next storm cycle, which is what we snowsports enthusiasts all live for- snowstorms (not hoar frost)!! As snow piles up on that weak layer, it can fail under the weight and fracture, causing the new snow to slide, aka an avalanche! There are many different kinds of avalanches and scenarios, this being just one, but snow study and avalanche forecasting is really quite fascinating, and truthfully, if you are going to play in the mountains, you should seek out this education to keep yourself safe (and alive), but also to protect others who are recreating in the backcountry.
NWAC
Anyhow, back to the tour, and given the avalanche backstory above, we also observe for signs of wind transported snow that create instabilities in the snowpack. We observed what looked to be heavily wind affected snow in the saddle we originally intended to ride as well as evidence of a few slides, so we dialed back our objective to just at treeline, rather than ascending to a true alpine location which carried a higher risk of wind slab avalanches according to NWAC. Much like we’ve had to do this whole experience, splitboarding involves meticulous planning but also plenty of mental flexibility to adapt your plan when you need to. We did our snowpack assessments and found where we wanted to ride and enjoyed the quick 10 minute descent- that’s what you have to show for 5.5 hours of work, a 10 minute glory ride! Well that’s not exactly true, the views along the way are pretty spectacular, and the only encounters you have are with your own thoughts, breaths, and your partners, and the thoughts usually dissipate about the time the breaths become more frequent- thanks altitude! All that is what makes the suffer worth it- the riding is a bonus.
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| Ascending the dreaded Narada Falls face |
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| Finally up to Stevens Canyon Road |
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| Looking back at Rainier on our way up to the start zone |
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| The Tatoosh is my favorite area of Washington |
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| Snack time |
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| Ready to head down |
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| Frelan dropping in |
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| Me! |
Staying regional was the name of the game for most of March as we have been busy preparing for our trip to South America. We did some more winter fishing on a trip down to Bend, fishing the Deschutes, the Crooked River, a first for me, as well as getting skunked on the Rogue. If you're going to get skunked, I recommend getting skunked on a beautiful river, and the Rogue is just that. We were hoping to sneak in some split boarding at Crater Lake, but as we entered mid March, winter just turned off like a faucet. It was 55 degrees which makes for miserable touring conditions- mashed potatoes soaked with water. No fun and not good for the skins. I was able to check a few more waterfalls off my list, though I was doing it with my back-up camera, as I am looking to upgrade my old reliable Nikon d750.
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| Shaun fishing the Rogue |
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| Literally no fish in here! |
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| Hammock weather! |
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| Southern Oregon waterfalls |
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| Hiked down to these falls |
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| Lovely morning |
The tail end of the month was spent mostly packing, prepping, and planning, which can become quite monotonous, so we each tried to sprinkle in some time with friends and fishing as a break from routine.
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| An upper Yak rainbow |
Now here we are, about to move out of the apartment and back into the van for two weeks for a short roadie prior to South America! The plan is to head down to Utah and hit up Grand Staircase Escalante and Capitol Reef National Park as well as the Green River for some fishing, but as we learned this summer, all plans are weather dependent!
Our plans for South America are loosely planned other than lodging and transportation which we decided to lock in early. It can be a bit overwhelming planning travels in such expansive countries.
We leave April 15th from Portland, flying to Santiago, Chile. We'll be spending the first part of our trip in the lakes region saddling Chile and Argentina which is the northern Patagonia region. Unfortunately due to weather constraints, we won't be going to southern Patagonia, but I am confident our second trip to South America won't be our last. From the lakes region, we are going to head north of Santiago to the Atacama Desert, one of the world's best stargazing locations, and we will be there during the new moon- perfect Milky Way conditions assuming the weather cooperates. From Atacama, we will head north to Peru and the Cordillera Blanca range for acclimatization before our trek to end the trip. We fly back to the US on May 20 with one month left before it's back to the real world.
This has been an amazing experience, and we couldn't have done it without the support of our friends and family- friends who have received our mail and packages, treated us to dinner, or just simply taken an interest in our adventure and encouraged us. You all know who you are, and we thank you!
