Snowshoeing 12/23/13

I worked an hour an half at breakfast and went back to my room to charge my cameras. The forecast said 4-7 inches of snow today but the prediction was 100% false. It was cloudy but nothing was falling from the skies but a rushing wind where it was not obstructed. I decided at breakfast that I was going to attempt to go snowshoeing and that is what I did after a nap and lunch. After I put the battery in my camera and an SD card I started to walk over to the Old Gardiner Road.

Right after I got out of the dorm, a friend asked where I was going with my snowshoes to which I responded "Up there for a while as I pointed to the ridge north of the dorm. She asked if she could tag along and I my party had grown to two. I had heard ski poles were helpful for snowshoeing so I rented two pairs and met my friend at the base of the road.

We made it up the incline as we talked about the previous seasons and the plans for the next summer. We continued to snowshoe for about 1/4 of a mile before coming to the view below. The sky was filled with overcast with no signs of snow. The wind was at our backs making snowdrifts in front of us. The snow would hover above the ground as if dry ice was melting. The wind ripped past my ears and through the two trees in front of us as we stared out to the north entrance of the park.

 Making our way back to Mammoth, we stopped so I could take this picture of the road looking towards Bunsen Peak. There has not been a snowfall large enough to make a base for this cross country trail. As we made our way on the road, the snowshoes would dig into the gravel base.

Above is a picture of Mammoth Hot Springs. The building in center bottom is Spruce Dorm. To the left is Aspen Dorm. The square building above Aspen is a Ranger Station. To the right of that is an old house that now belongs to Maintenance, I think. The big rectangular building behind that is the hotel. The backside of the hotel across the street are some cabins where Old Gardiner Road starts. Behind the cabins lye the Recreation Center with an ice rink and bonfire behind it.

After the short adventure we turned in the ski poles and talked to Walt, the ski shop guy, who had has worked in the park since 1991. We ended the trip with hot chocolate and two episodes of Brickleberry, a cartoon that is based off of national parks that brings great joy to those who have worked a season in one. I do not recommend the show for anyone younger then 17, easily offended or does not like dirty comedy. Last I knew, it aired Tuesday nights on Comedy Central late in the evening. If you like South Park, you'll enjoy Brickleberry.