April President’s Message

 

Winter is hanging on tough this spring.  Last weekend (March
22nd), I skied through 16 inches of powder snow up Road #614.
The day length speaks of late March and April, but winter has not
received the message.  For those of you wishing to stretch your
legs and stay in shape, I’d guess there will be skiable snow on
the 4th of July Area for another 2-3 weeks, while the high slopes
of the Bitterroots and Selkirks will hold snow well into May and
probably June, barring a quick melt.

 

We enjoyed two great day trips during March.  A second trip to
Frater Lake in NE Washington had several participants. Five
inches of fresh snow greeted us and the Forest Service had just
completed grooming as we arrived.  A warm sun made the ski and
lunch at the cabin enjoyable.  Sixteen people participated in the
ski to Settler’s Grove up the West Fork of Eagle Creek.  Twelve
people made the round trip ski into and out of the Grove.  We do
this trip every other year to enjoy the spectacular trees at the
grove locked into the cold deep winter snow.

 

The spring that is shaping up as late will have an impact on our
summer schedule.  Unless we plan a May snowshoe or ski, the late
snow will keep us down at the lower elevations a bit longer than
usual.  High water may also affect us somewhat. Such worries
should be behind us by mid-June or early July.  The mountains
should be lush this summer and the huckleberry crop has the
potential to be more robust than in recent years.

 

We will be planning our summer hiking, biking, and canoeing
schedule at the April 1 meeting.  The meeting will be at 7 pm at
the Fernan USFS station.  Park in the back lot and walk down to
the meeting room in the basement.  Bring your nomination(s) for
hikes, bikes or canoe trips that you would like to have
considered.  If you can supply maps and/or pictures, it helps
others understand the trip better.  If you want to lead a trip,
that counts in the trip’s favor.

 

We generally do day trips every other week from late April into
September.  However, some of us do overnight backpacks and canoe
trips other times during the summer.  Some trips will have
separate sign up lists, so please bring those ideas and be
prepared to put together another summer of club-sponsored trips.

 

Goeff Harvey