The long house camp is planned for a couple of weeks from now. Yesterday after work, Amy and I went up to see if snow still blocked the road in. The short answer is “Yes”.
We hiked to the bridge over Pistol Creek, crossing patches of bare gravel separated by long, deep drifts of old snow.
Mushrooms were poking up here and there alongside the road.
The trail into camp was remarkably free from snow.
There were some trees down and a few drifts to negotiate.
The fire tacks we used to blaze the trail are still up.
The latrine will need to be repaired.
We arrived at the campsite to find the poles still standing.
We saw lots of animal sign; Elk, deer, coyote, rabbit, and this huge pile of fresh bear crap, right next to the poles.
Amy and I walked over to the creek. Pistol Creek was full and swift.
The water was up over the bar where we beached the canoe last year, but the beach hadn’t eroded or changed much at all.
It was getting late, so we hiked back to the truck. The forecast is for continued warming; I am confident the snow will be gone in time for our camp.
Maybe the snow will be gone, or maybe we’ll get two snow camps in this year!
I will be happy if the road is clear. I expect there will be some drifts in the shade at first but it should all melt off before we are done. Fingers crossed for good weather.