Christmas Eve Fun in the Snow

On the afternoon of Christmas Eve, we decided to go see how much snow was up in Great Basin National Park. Down in Snake Valley it was mostly rain with a few flakes mixed in, but up at Upper Lehman Creek Campground, there was over 10 inches, and it was still coming down. It's neat how the elevation changes conditions so quickly--and how we can reach a totally different climate in a fifteen minute drive! We were dressed in our snow gear and had some snow toys with us, so we went to play. Desert Girl couldn't wait to sled. We decided to give the beginning of the connector trail to Lower Lehman Creek Campground a try.

It worked pretty well. After a few runs, I was ready to walk around and see what caught my eye. There wasn't any wind, so the snow was balanced even on small things, like rose hips.

I walked over to check out the newly renovated picnic area. The whole campground was redone this past summer with Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act (SNPLMA) money.

But first I got pulled into the massive ponderosa pines that grace the campground. Snow outlined the branches and pine needles.

A new campfire ring is quite cute.

The amphitheater seating has been redone.

New restrooms have been installed.

This perfect white fir, next to a campsite, caught my eye. The snow looks like frosting on it.

This old road will be restored next year, as part of it goes through a wetland area. A new road was made in the campground to access the higher sites.

The upper part of the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive is closed to automobiles.

The snow plow was busy pushing snow as we watched.

Desert Boy made use of some of the snow piles to build a snow fort.

There's not a lot of color in the campground, but the shapes are beautiful.

Desert Girl was decked out in hot pink, and she had found a new sledding spot when I walked back.

It wasn't working quite how she wanted.

I took a couple runs to smooth things out and then she gave it a try.

Then she led me for a long hike in the woods, over the ice, across a bridge I had never seen before, and to several picnic tables where we snacked on snow. We figured it was time to go when we got back, but then she asked if she could ski. Sure, why not? We pulled out the cross country skis and she happily started down the road.

Desert Boy watched from the sled as she passed.

Then he decided he wanted to go too.

Last year the kids participated in their first cross country ski race, the Ely Birkebeiner. Desert Girl came in fourth and was quite upset, because only the top three finishers got medals. She came in fourth because she got passed when she had fallen down. So her goal was to learn how to get up faster so she wouldn't get passed again. She wants to come in third this year. She fell several times and did get up quickly. We'll try to get in some more practices before the January 21 event.

It was a nice, gentle ski going down the road on a thin layer of snow.

Desert Boy was so happy to be moving along.

He passed Desert Girl and kept going. And going, and going.

The turkeys had been out on the road.

I thought the kids would stop at Lower Lehman Campground, but they kept going. Eventually we had to get them to stop so we could go do the Nativity Play. It was a great afternoon outside with snow falling the whole time.

We're hoping to get lots more outside time, even though it's winter!

Acclimatizing to Snow and Cold

I'm getting ready for a snowy, high elevation adventure this weekend, so I've been trying to get ready for it by spending more time outside in the snow and cold. Last week I took advantage of the fresh snow and went cross-country skiing four times. Twice I went at lunch up the Upper Lehman Creek trail. I was the first one to break trail. I could see the old trail trough, but it was under about 15 inches of fresh powder, so I got a good workout.

I went up from the trailhead 30 minutes, then turned around and skied down my tracks--it only took 12 minutes and was beautiful.

The next day I convinced my co-worker Brooke to come along. We followed my tracks the following day, which had been enhanced by two folks from Alaska who had continued higher. It was just a little bit warmer, but that was warm enough that the snow stuck to our skis on the way back down, making it a little frustrating. Nevertheless, it was great to be outside.

When I got home I thought I'd see how it would be to ski around the house. The roads were packed down and worked out fine. The kids gave a try.

Desert Girl especially stuck with it. She was stumbling all around, getting her skis twisted and falling often at the beginning, but after an hour she was doing great. We might even try to have the kids enter the Ely Birkebeiner on February 20, a cross-country ski race.

Next up was a before-work ski up the Baker Creek road. You can see my long shadow! There were snowshoe tracks, but I was the first skier.

It was so peaceful skiing in the morning.

Eventually I went past the snowshoe tracks, but I found plenty of animal tracks! The birds were also quite noisy.

Then it was time to head to Eagle Point Ski Resort for a Superbowl Sunday ski. It sure cleared out after lunch and we had the slopes almost to ourselves. It was warm, not windy at all, and the snow was great. We put the kids into ski school and my husband and I enjoyed a rare lunch date.

When we picked up the kids from ski school, they were eager to show us what they had learned. They did great! (They were also entertained on the ski lift by taking selfies.)

Another ski run all to ourselves.

Desert Girl was so tired, but she was a trooper, willing to ski until the lifts closed. We can't wait to go back!

And then this week has been some snowshoeing for work. Hopefully I'm ready for the big adventure. Whatever happens, I imagine it will be worthy of a blog post!

Hope you're enjoying winter!