After today’s races were cancelled due to heavy rain last night, we laced up the hiking boots and set off on an adventure up White Cap, Black Mountain’s neighboring peak.
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Despite last night’s rain, the day was sunny and beautiful: perfect weather for a hike.
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We were joined on the hill by the Bend and NENSA groups, and we had quite the colorful gang cruising up the mountain.
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The trail was icy like nothing we had ever seen before: inches of smooth ice covered most of the walking surface. This is a shot of a stream bed perpendicular to the trail, but it looks pretty similar to most of what we were walking on.
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Bella (from Bend) and Dev stick to the good traction, while Rafter lives on the edge, climbing up the ice.
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No problem.
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MK leads Janice up the side of what looks like a frozen waterfall.
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Justin makes an attempt on the ice before sliding back off it.
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Heidi and MK, sporting the new GMVS threads, go ledge hopping with Janice and Holly.
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Josh Harrington is joining us for Nationals, he skirts the ice and reveals a sweet view back towards the White Mountains in New Hampshire.
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Justin and Bend coach Ben Husaby discuss what direction we’re looking.
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Dev leads the charge to the top.
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The top of White Cap offered an amazing 360 degree view that included a mountain that more deserved the name.
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The wind was whipping up there, but we stopped to take a group photo. Black Mountain is directly behind us.
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The view down into Rumford. The paper mill looks small from here!
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The way down provided entertainment for everyone, as the ice proved far easier to descend than to climb up. Many of us slid the majority of the ledgy section.
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We must have been a crazy sight, 20 colorfully dressed skiers hurtling down from patch to patch, surfing the ice and skidding to a stop on rocks and patches of brush.
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That’s some Oregon coast surfing form.
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Ben hanging ten.
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Justin pretended he was on a kayak, and ran the “falls” to the delight of the onlookers.
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Whoa, buddy!
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It was a different climate down below: warm and soft conditions greeted us in the lower sections, but it is supposed to freeze hard tonight. Should be fast racing tomorrow! Stay tuned.
