Views from Smoke Rise - January 2001

Will-Do Views from Smoke Rise: January 2001 Click any image for a larger view.	Start of the hike
Maria and I don't have snow shoes yet, but we braved the deep snow to get up to Indian Cliffs, above Split Rock Reservoir on January 21st, 2001. The hike and scenery was spectacular. ADDENDUM: I have added a few shots from a February 5th snow storm at the bottom of this page.

	This stream is right at the trail head leading to Split Rock Resevoir. I had just crossed it in the shot above.
Misty Pond This is the same beaver lodge seen in other "views from Smoke Rise", which are referenced at the bottom of this page.
	I loved the way the ice had buckled upward. I think this is from the water level falling
Nobody had been along this pond in a while. The snow was about 10-12 inches deep.
	Here's my guide! ;-)
This was almost like being on another planet.
	Apparently somebody had been back this way with a 4x4. The watershed mgt folks keep tabs on these resevoirs, so that's probably who this was.
The "Blue Trail" is probably about 1.5 miles, but really beautiful with some steep, tricky spots toward the end.
">	The snow was yummy! Maria had just taken a chomp off that boulder.
Everywhere we looked was another beautful scene.
	These plants are amazing. The must have antifreeze in their sap.
The steepest part was a bit of a challenge in the deep snow, but the summit lay just ahead.
">	The wind was pretty brutal, but we were dressed for it, so no matter. I loved this scene with the wind-seared snow.
We were about 150-200 feet above the resevoir. Misty pond is in the background here, with Split Rock Resevoir out of view to the left.
	I now swear by my trekking poles. They help the knees and generally keep me more stable on technical terrain.
This overhand was way cool. I was almost standing on it when Maria noticed, so I backed off.
">	Wind kicked up this cool swirl of snow. I got some of it, but it went on for about a couple of seconds. Very cool.
I couldn't decide on the best two shots, so I put these four up here. Note the scoured wind pattern.
	That's Split Rock in the background.
We were pretty lucky to have this summit all to ourselves. To the victor go the spoils!
	While resting in mid-log climb, I thought this looked kind-of cool. What do you think?

2/5/2001: Another Monster Snow Storm! While not as much as the New Year's Eve weekend storm, this one still dumped over a foot of snow on us. It was awesome. This was the right Winter to buy the Jeep!
	This stuff was awesome. It had a little stickiness, so it built up nicely.
It was snowing so hard I could hardly keep the walk clear for a picture!
	Just before Christmas, I was sitting in that chair smoking a cigar!
That night we had a fun time sled riding down our driveway and playing in the snow. You're only young once, right? Hopefully, you stay that way!
	This bough must have weighed several hundred pounds with the snow. We shook it off and it returned to its normal height: about 20 feet off the ground. These shots were right outside the garage.
And what snow play would be complete without a snow angel! My "Snow Angel" made a snow angel.
For more scenes from Smoke Rise, visit the Fall Version or the earlier Winter 00/01 section.
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Views from Smoke Rise: January 2001

2/5/2001: Another Monster Snow Storm!