First Crocus

 

Yesterday morning it snowed a bit in my yard and then in the afternoon sunshine I found my first crocus bloom.  It was in the usual spot at the south end of the rose bushes.  Just a couple of days ago the spot was completely covered with snow.  Every year I note when I see my first crocus bloom and it tells me where we are as regards the arrival of spring.  Is it late or is it early? Last year I saw my first bloom about a week later.  According to a post where I analyzed all the 'first crocus bloom' (click here) it used to be normal to see the first bloom in mid April.  Lately the norm has been early April, but for a few years there (during the years of the 'Blob' of warm water in the North Pacific) the crocuses were blooming in late February.  

So this year is about normal or maybe just a little early.

Patrick

Still snow on the trails in Abercrombie

Afternoon Ski

 

We've had a recent run of really good weather, and Stuey and I have been going for a ski after school practically every day.  Sometimes we skate ski on a local lake with the dogs, but mostly it has been downhill on Pyramid.  The dogs do not go with us up Pyramid yet.  I'm waiting until the 2 puppies are full grown and joints all developed before I take them downhill skiing.  So on the downhill days the dogs get a separate walk.  These days it is light until 9 PM so there is plenty of time after work and/or school for both walks and skis.

However, I fear the XC ski season might be rapidly coming to an end.  I doubt we'll get much more new snow at sea level, and the long warm days are melting the lakes and sea level snow.  The snow is now almost  completely gone from the yard and is only holding on in the woods and and shady places.  

But on high we are still gaining snow - it's peak ski season in the mountains!

Patrick

Brennan prepares to go from the top

'Sun'day

 

More 'maple sugar' weather.  Cold nights and sunny days with temperatures in the low 40's.  Wake up to ice on the car windshield but by noon you are looking around for blooming crocuses in the yard.  No blooming crocuses . ... yet.  But these days sunglasses are required gear on the mountain.

Yesterday afternoon the kids and I joined Uncle Dicky and a cousin on the mountain.  It was pretty good spring skiing and we did 2 runs.

On the way up the mountain my camera somehow had a setting get changed and just wanted to do double exposures. I could not change it back, I went through all the menus, and tried various filters - hence the black and white picture - and finally just set it to 'paparazzi', click, click, click mode which over rode the double exposure mode.  So I ended up taking like 500 pictures.  Then when I got home I had to read the instruction manual and figure out how to change it back.  So frustrating.

Still despite the camera frustration it was a pretty spectacular day.  At the bottom is a video of us skiing, and another from of blowing snow in the alpine from a few days ago.

Patrick

Low tide big beach

 

Yesterday just before we left to take the dogs to Buskin Beach I looked out the window at the house and thought it looked like mid tide in Mill Bay.  And I thought it was a rising tide.  Boy was I wrong.  We got to the beach to find it dead low.  The lowest I have seen it in years.  We walked as far out as we could and we were practically at the end of the runway.  The beach was HUGE.  A wide, flat and long sandy beach.  Perfect place for the dogs to run.  

And run they did.  There were other people with dogs and all the dogs were running back and forth visiting with each other.  It was a great big dog party.  Bodi, Red and Rey were in Heaven.  They'd run off down the beach until they were just small dots and then they'd sprint back again.  The beach was so wide that if they ran towards the high tide line it was literally almost 400 yards away.  

I guess I have to start checking the tide tables before I go on beach walks!

Patrick

Friday and Saturday

 

It's late March and here on Kodiak the skiing is pretty good.  It's time to get it while we can.  So we've been skiing a lot. On Friday after school I went up with Stuey and Nora.  And then on Saturday with just Nora.  These days I am not 'encouraged' to take kid photos so you will not find many pictures of Stuey and Nora.  But I did manage to take a few.  

Anyway, on Pyramid the skiing in the south bowl and below about 1500 feet is very good.  Above 1500 feet and in exposed places it is all drifts, wind pack and even blown ice.  These days the sun is strong enough by early afternoon to warm up the south facing slopes.  It's getting close to spring 'corn snow' season.

Patrick

Yesterday's line on the 3 tree run - I can't believe I got first tracks

Hamming for the camera

Wind and Snow

 

Last Wednesday it snowed and then on Thursday it blew.  Wednesday evening Stuey and I went XC skiing on the Upper Buskin while it sleeted and 'slushed'.  So I knew we got a lot of new snow.  So immediately after work on Thursday I headed up to go skiing.  Still the wind had me worried.

I arrived at the pass and the wind was screaming.  It looked like the wet slush from when Stuey and I had been XC skiing had frozen and then the snow during the night had fallen as powder and was blowing and drifting.  It looked like dust on breakable crust - ughhhh. I almost turned around and went home, but I'd already 'dared' the unplowed road and made the pass.  So I headed up anyway and I am glad I did.

Wednesday's snow was like solid powder that you did not sink into and the crust was not a problem.  The light crust just kept it from blowing away!  And then where there was powder in the gulleys and in the lee behind trees the skiing was divine (see third photo).

Patrick

Back near the car after my ski admiring my skin up track

My tracks on the upper 'Beaver Pond' run