The Moulton Journal: In Vein or Go Fish?

An inch or two of fresh snow, 22 deg F warming to near freezing by 9 am, Extra Blue wax. The base was a little icy in sunny places, but the new snow was bonded well enough for good control even on Widow Maker. Back country was a little hairy, especially in the trees, as I found in a run around Buzzy: in the trees, snow was just soft enough to sink into the crust an inch or so--making turning difficult! The pole line was fun as the combination of wind and sun had set a firm surface. So long as I cut the snowmachine tracks at more or less a right angle, I was OK.

All trails were as they should be. Buzzy was buzzy, Widow Maker demanded caution, Little Nipper was a little nippy out on the west end where you must negotiate the snow drift just as you're completing the downhill turn, and Sluice Box had the appropriate ripples where the snow drifts as it blows down from Big Flat (aka Moonlight Flats). Even In Vein lived up to its name for a change and was not in vain.

Usually March proves to be fairly wet, with new snow making for excellent skiing. Thus far (and unlike February) the month is dry. Maybe it's time to go fish the Jefferson River some afternoon. Dave & I are planning the season's first campout on the lower Big Hole later this month. Spring is in the air--what rural dwellers refer to as Mud Season.