Rotten Snow

May 5 - 6, 2008

We enjoyed exceptional snowmachining during an April trip to the lake, but a short two weeks later, we returned to some of the worst snow conditions we've ever experienced.

We had a heavy load in the car, and planned to ski in, spend the night, then transport everything in by snowmachine the next day. Our cross-country skis sank through sloppy snow into knee-deep ice water within the first quarter mile. It was late enough in the day that we had to struggle on to the cabin to sleep. Hopefully it would freeze by morning so we could travel on top of the snow. It soon became clear we wouldn't be able to transport in any stuff using a snowmachine. Much of the trail was greasy mud and the rest was sloppy snow. There was too much snow to travel by four-wheeler but not enough snow to travel by snowmachine.

It didn't freeze that night. We resolutely slogged back toward the car on the skis, which sank into the rotten snow every few steps. One of my bindings twisted and broke in brush, leaving me with just one ski. Every few steps my skiless foot punched through and I sank to my hip. I had to haul myself out again and again. We tried skiing side by side, with me standing on one of Dennis' skis for support. It took hours to travel the few miles back to the car.

It reminded us of a previous trip on Memorial Day, 1992. We arrived with a new four-wheeler, expecting to drive it in. Dennis made it a mile or so by carefully weaving around snowdrifts but finally he high-centered and decided to walk the rest of the way to the cabin and return for the four-wheeler the next day. When we reached the creek, usually no more than a bubbling brook, it was a raging torrent that could have swept away a D-9 Cat! It was late, nearly midnight. We painfully retraced our steps, retrieved the four-wheeler, and drove all night back to town. We collapsed and spent the rest of the weekend sleeping!