Welcome to a special edition of the Nordic Dave Adventure Series. It's been a cold wet spring on top of an epic winter. Today 'ol nordic wanted to check out the High Unita's up on the Mirror Lake Hwy. A possible launching point for a multi day adventure from Mirror Lake to Kings Peak and just how much snow as there? (Mirror Lake Hwy jpg)
Finding the highway giving up to snow at Trial Lake, it was 10:30 a.m., 29f and blizzard conditions.
For Non Utahn's the Wasatch are for show and the Uinta's the real deal. Und zo…while marveling at trackless wilderness, nordic reminded himself, 'self', stay on the highway, don't get lost on this strangly mid winter day. Sure enough a few k later 'nordic' found a sign that informed him that he was 'lost'.
Skiing alone for a few hours is a great way to find solace from many thoughts that invade the mind like too many voices. In this case nordic dave will let some road signs do the talking since there wasn't anybody else around to take pictures of the human element of actually skiing.
So sure enough as nordic dave began to climb he could only smile and rejoice as 'is this a great day or what?' So sure enough another few K later there was a sign sponsored by the Bowen family not to trash or waste on Utah.
As the climb neared the top of the pass, nordic was encouraged by the next road sign to take a picture of the scenic alpine splendor of 13,000 ft. Bald Mtn. As it was blowing hard and fast the only thing visable was the sign.
A little while later while cresting the pass, nordic took the opportunity to provide a scouting report for next months 'High Uintas Classic' a 90 mile bicycle race to Evanston, Wyoming.
Meanwhile dropping into the Mirror Lake Basin 2 hours later on what easily could be an expedition of multiple weeks, nordic came upon a disturbed sign. Hmm….looks like injun country, nordic thought, Crows maybe Blackfoot….'best move on and keep your wits about you' ….'ol nordic dave thought…..
Moving with ELAN, nordic finally came upon Pass lake, a first day stopping point from back in the day when nordic dave traversed the entire West to East length of the High Uinta Wilderness, 150 miles in 5 days, ah yes those were the days!
Refueled and ready to go, it was time to reclimb the pass with PANACHE while thinking of epic races like 'Crested Butte to Aspen' or better yet something like the Arctic Circle Race held every year in Greenland, those are tough races! And so seeing the good old Summit County line reappear that 'County Search and Rescue' was but a moment away was reassuring. It was time to descend thousands of feet on a Hwy with fresh powder that had covered my tracks.
Breif moments of clearing provided magnificent vistas in the lull of the next storm line moving in. The last 5k was all about double pole kick in fresh powder Moving with Elan & Panache 3.5 hours into an epic ski day racing to beat the thunder storm that preceded the next snow squall.
Safely back as the thunder and snow struck just upon reaching the car, Nordic Dave isn't too sure what kind of picnics and parades may have occurred on this Memorial Day yet he knew he had a day he'll not soon forget as he was never alone and now he had a grave site to visit of a young man who was taken while in his prime in which to thank for the great gift that he is and was.
