TravelingMel

I keep complaining about there not being any snow and then posting photos of us playing in the snow. Are you confused? To clarify, there is some snow in Montana, it's just not around us. So, we must travel.

Last weekend, we joined our friends, Brooke, Peter and Matine, for our second annual winter ski vacation. Last year it was Neihart and Showdown, this year it was Elkhorn Hot Springs.

Elkhorn is a rather rustic place tucked into the Pioneer Mountains.

We met up at the Patagonia outlet in Dillon before caravaning the last 45 minutes to Elkhorn. Lucky for us they were having a big sale on Capilene long underwear just when we needed some woolies.

There wasn't much snow until we got close to Elkhorn, but oh, then there was white, fluffy goodness!

Getting started

Eating snow.

Montana sledding: pushed down a road by a dad with a beer.

The facilities

We rented a couple cabins. Like I said, they're rustic. The beds in our cabin were pretty nice, but Brooke and Peter slept on beds that they described as looking like they were from a murder scene in a bad movie. They had a weird stove that kept them warm; we had a nice wood stove that sort of warmed up the place. We both had access to a nasty outhouse. Fortunately, there are bathrooms in the lodge and pool house.

We brought food for the first night and lunches, but ate the free breakfasts at the lodge and one way-too-expensive dinner. The lodge is a great place to hang out and even has a toy corner for the kids.

Like all good Montana lodges, this one is full of animal heads.

Brooke loved her breakfast.

Relaxing.

Sledding

After breakfast on Saturday, Peter snowshoed out a sledding track for the kids. They had a blast.

The kids loved the sledding course behind the cabins.

Skiing

I skipped out of the sledding for a little cross-country skiing with the dogs. The kids are at an awkward stage where they don't ski very far or fast, but they are too big to carry. So, I have to sneak in a little solo time to to really get my ski on.

I clicked into my cross-country skis and headed up the Grasshopper Ridge Trail, ascending through dense conifers to a lookout at Solarium Point.

From the lookout, I gazed south three miles to Maverick Mountain where we downhill skied six years ago when Henry and I did a similar trip here. Beyond Maverick is the Big Hole Valley. To the north and east, the mountains�Highboy, Comet and Saddleback�and twenty miles of cross-country ski trails await our next long weekend away from home.

I turned around here, but last time I continued up the trail to a large ridge-top meadow with snow so deep the dogs could barely walk outside our ski tracks. There, we paused, breathed deep and drank Good Earth tea from a thermos. Thinking that a ski through the trees on a winding trail might be better accomplished with a little daylight, we headed back down the trail.

Few things make me happier than seeing this sign.

A yummy-smelling Ponderosa pine. Yes, I am a tree hugger, literally.

Even the trail I broke was deep and challenging for an old malamute and his shorter friend. Diesel is chin-deep behind Rigby.

The dogs and I agreed that it was worth the work for this view.

Rigby and his best friend.

Post ski snooze. Rigby stayed like this for most of the weekend. He loves the snow, but just can't go like he used to. That negative space is Diesel. He was pretty beat, too.

Swimming

You can't go to Elkhorn and not take advantage of the hot pools. According to an article I wrote, "Unlike some thermal pools, the springs at Elkhorn are sulfur-free and therefore, without a rotten egg smell."

Yay for swimming outside in winter!

More skiing

We even got the kids on skis. Putting Finn in "real" skis and boots instead of the skis that strap onto his snow boots has made a world of difference. So has getting a year older. We just scooted along the road and around the parking lot, but it was so fun.

Kicking and gliding.

The cabins

They sure are cute from the outside.

The Howells' cabin: The Badger

Icicles on our cabin: Red Hawk

It's supposed to be warm and rainy soon, so I am remembering the lovely snow play we had earlier this week. A few photos from our second day at Bridger Bowl.

A view of the ridge from the Powder Park chair lift. Finn and I rode to the mid-mountain chalet for hot cocoa and then skied down.

On the chair lift.

Taking a break on the way down.

Anders took a lesson to perfect his carving skills.

Finn spends much of his day eating. Whether or not we are skiing.

Finn and Henry on the Snowflake lift.

Finn and dad shredding.

Anders is ready to go. One lesson and he's riding the lift himself and skiing without holding anyone's hand.

Anders has been taking ukelele lessons for a few months and Finn had been wanting to for a few months. I thought he was too young, but he was really insistent. So, I signed him up and he loves it. He might be the musician in the family.

If you haven't noticed, I've been using a fancy app and MY NEW IPHONE! to take photos. Fun, no?

It snowed! This makes me oh, so happy. We spent the day at Bridger Bowl shredding the gnar (more like stumbling and falling) and we are going back tomorrow. Henry and Anders are going to take lessons while Finn and I attempt to get off the bunny slope and onto the mountain.

Tonight there was a story on All Things Considered about the lack of snow across the country. From Maine to California, it is dry, dry, dry.

According the story, the "first 10 days of January, warmest, driest in U.S. history. Ninety-five percent of the country [is] experiencing below-average snow conditions."

Warmest and driest in U.S. history.

The story continues:

"What's weird is that 15 to 20 cities set all-time rainfall records last year, seven states had the wettest year on record," Douglas says. "We've had crazy extremes, Texas in the midst of a historic drought while it's incredibly wet east of the Mississippi."

Last year's La Nina followed on the heels of a moderate El Nino and because we are now going from La Nina to La Nina, Douglas says, we should expect a shorter, tamer winter.

No snow stinks for me, but as a friend pointed out, it's not just me that suffers. Animals that depend on the insulating properties of snow are cold. Rivers will be drier this spring and summer. There is a whole cascade of effects that you can listen to in this story.

It's snowing now and has been all day. I doubt we can make up for a dry December and first half of January, but I think the weather gods should try!

Remember when I wrote, "shredding the gnar?" That was funny, right? Because I would never actually say (or do) that.