I've been making this classic ski tour since I was a teenager: 20 miles from car to town.
- December 4, 2005
- Trip start 8am, ski start 9:05am
- Team: Bob, Don, Gordy, Carl, and John
- Back to Boise @ 4:15pm
Note: click images to see a larger version in a new window
We got a leisurely start, leaving the cars at the Hull's Gulch parking area at a little after 8am. Don dropped Carl, Gordy, and I off at the Deer Point turnoff, then he and Bob drove to the Bogus parking lot and took the chairlift. |
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Gord, Carl, and I fussed with our gear for a few minutes, then headed up the road looking for some sunshine. |
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We found it soon enough, and it was sweet. The light was illuminating the snow crystals, firing them up like a thousand diamonds. Carl and Ted took a moment to contemplate where we were headed- that's Eagleson Summit on the left, from which it's almost all downhill to Boise. What's the rush? It's only 12 miles to Eagleson! |
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But first we had another 40 minutes of climbing to get to our rendezvous under Deer Point with Bob and Don. Soon after this picture, Ted figured out that Carl's pack was warmer and less work. He got out occasionally, but the little pup rode most of the way in style. |
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Bob and Don were freezing when they got off the chairlift, so they didn't feel like hanging out and waiting. However, the powder was thick enough that trail breaking was real work- so we soon caught up to them. Here, Don contemplates the relative heights of his position, Eagleson Summit, and the coming saddle in the ridge. |
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| It was shady and cold climbing Eagleson, but our wax was working surprisingly well. |  |
We got over the top, found a sunny glade, and enjoyed our lunch. Then it was time to head down 8th Street. |
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Bob, like most of us, has done this run many, many times. Nevertheless, it's always exciting to survey the city from atop the snowy foothills. |
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Although we did make a few turns, the powder was still deep enough to prevent us from going very fast- so we mostly just glided along. With somewhat thin snow, it's safer this way, anyway. As usual, Ted was "hanging out." |
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We ran out of skiable snow right at the motorcycle parking lot. A quick discussion yielded the decision to hike down the trail by the creek rather than the road. It was a great day, and we always feel lucky when we can ski down this close to town. And this was one of the better runs- despite the early-December date. |
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