Finally...

After nearly a week on the road, several things have become quite clear: car camping with a month's worth of snowboarding, hiking, and climbing gear sucks, hot tubs and showers in Mammoth are not nearly as closely guarded as they should be, and abandoning ski lifts in favor of earning turns is not for the faint of heart.

Our first night was spent at the Lake Mary trailhead.  It proved to be quite chilly...apparently winter is still here in the eastern Sierra.  The next day was spent reorganizing gear, packing for a splitboard trip, and searching for hot springs. 

Late the next morning, we managed to put snow underfoot and the car well behind us.  Sadly, a forgotten camera cable leaves us with no photographic evidence at the current juncture.  The skin in was hot and borderline grueling, but ultimately we managed to find a comfortable spot to camp in.  The following morning and day was spent hiking up and taking runs down from the Mammoth Crest.  Incoming weather and the need for repairs resulted in us leaving late in the afternoon.  Upon arrival at the car, we searched for (and successfully found) a way to shower.  Once again, we camped near the hot spring we found earlier. 

The last several days have been spent in a rental property courtesy of a woman we met while searching for the aforementioned hot springs.  Snow has been steadily falling for nearly two days now and the weekend is looking promising with a tour planned in the morning and resort riding over the weekend. 

Final Shakedown

It would seem that spring has officially arrived in the eastern Sierra.  While the warm weather is a welcome change of pace from that which we experienced on Mt. Whitney, it is far from good news given the light snow year.  Ignoring the fact the trip originally had a slated destination of Mt. Shasta, a good deal of fun was had by all. 

Back to the Grind

Sadly, nothing noteworthy has occurred in the last few days or weeks. The continued stress of moving and preparing keeps doing its best to get the best of me and it's doing a damn good job.  Some amateur surgery and cutting a perfectly good snowboard in half have provided a brief break from the monotony though. 

Pre-pre shakedown

I've duped yet another person into partaking in the "joys" of winter camping.  A few weekends ago we managed to get out for an outing Mt. Whitney.  Thanks to a few post-work mimosas (for the employed folk), the drive out was rather uneventful, and quiet save a Caltrans sanctioned tumble weed fire in California Valley.  We made it to Lone Pine by early evening and were able to drive all the way to the trailhead (I guess there are some upsides to low snow years) where we spent the night.  After a leisurely start, we eventually made it to Mirror Lake before altitude and fatigue crippled half of our party. We made camp in the most sheltered location possible, but sadly all the planning in the world doesn't allow you to hide from 50mph winds. While some of of enjoyed the beauty of high fiber foods, altitude, and mummy-style sleeping bags, others slept well. A cold, breezy night produced several casualties; namely our sleeping bags and a packet or two of Gu. Low spirits and stormy weather prompted our return early the next morning.  On our way out, we (re)learned the importance of properly lacing boots, and that snowshoeing is harder for some than others.  The drive home, while long, was also uneventful 

And So It Begins...

As many of you know, I have recently found myself unemployed.  Faced with a multitude of options, all seemingly equally bad, I've (we have) decided to explore what the open road has to offer.  In roughly a month's time, we'll be leaving San Luis behind with no set end date.  We'll check back in frequently and keep everyone abreast of our activities as best we can.  For now, we're focusing on enjoying what the central coast has to offer.