I just can't decide if Old Man Winter is just cranky or if Mother Nature just can't make up her mind. Whatever the case, so far this season has been as inconsistent as any in recent years
.
We've had rain. We've had cold. When the snow comes, it comes in short bursts and storms seem to fizzle out early. When the temperatures rise, the rain knocks down whatever snow collected in the lower elevations and creates a crust on the snow in the higher elevations. When the temperatures drop, you freeze your butt off to get to the snow; then you almost need to strip naked to keep from steaming up the you get stuck in the crusty snow.
The ideal conditions are when the temperatures are in the mid 20s consistently throughout the day. This is a great temperature to make that nice crunchy snow (perfect for making snowballs) that creates a good base for snowmobiling.
But when temperatures are in the single digits . you pretty much freeze your single digit off.
Although all of this sounds like my snowmobiling experiences have been miserable this season, that's not the case. Once you leave the trailhead and climb in elevation, the temperatures tend to moderate and the riding has been outstanding-regardless the shortcomings in snow depth and quality.
We have had good rides . even one or two outstanding rides. But we're always hoping for those great rides-when the snow is deep, the sky is blue and there's not a track in front of you (sounds like the makings of a country song).
So hopefully, Old Man Winter and Mother Nature will work out their differences soon so we can get back to normal. It's always nice when there's peace in the family.
SJ