Mar 19, 2021: I enjoyed the detailed, descriptive trip report from BDski which came in early this morning. BD did the 42K Cookie Race course which sampled most of the trails in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park.
Bear tracks on Tyrwhitt. File photo
I admire BD’s perseverance on difficult conditions and can relate to everything he reported, but I’ve learned my lesson regarding spring skiing on sketchy conditions and am now content to read about others’ experiences. If I was skiing, however, I would have enjoyed seeing the bear tracks on Upper Pocaterra.
Bear tracks on Whiskey Jack. File photo
Every year the first bear tracks appear around the same area in PLPP, namely Whiskey Jack, Tyrwhitt, and Upper Pocaterra. It’s time to start carrying bear spray.
Overnight tracksetting in PLPP included Elk Pass, Blueberry Hill, Patterson, Lower Lake, and the big hill at the start of Hydroline. According to the grooming report, the temperature did not even drop below zero last night.
For anyone thinking of going to Mt Shark today, Oleg gave this comment “Snow was quite soft and saturated in sunny spots, but white-knuckle fast in the shade. The Spray Lakes road is indeed a neverending stretch of potholes.”
Canmore Nordic Centre trail report remarks “Day time heating is quickly making water out of our snowpack. Read the trail report for specific conditions on the trails.” According to Facebook comments, it’s raining in Canmore this morning.
We had a late start at CNC today. Conditions were slushy at the start but by 1:00 pm or so, it started snowing heavily! The storm lasted for about half an hour and left about 2 cm of much needed snow. The snow was very grabby.
From this we can conclude that a bear’s cue to wake up from hibernation is the sound of cussing skiers in the woods.
“The Spray Lakes road is indeed a neverending stretch of potholes.”
Amen…
Choose Sparrowhawk in ’88!