Spring ski

Heading up the Tsaina River

Last Sunday was the first day of spring. To cap off our weekend of x-country skiing, we made our way up the Tsaina River, about 15 miles away. It was a stunning day, one that required multiple applications of spf-50 sunblock. 

We dawdled our way up the river, stopping for lunch. For all the sun that day, we didn't see a single person until we were almost back at the car. About 6 miles back, we decided to explore up a smaller canyon that branched off the main river. 

Tory takes the lead toward the unknown.

We started going uphill pretty quickly. It wasn't so steep that we had trouble going up on our x-country skis, but we gained a couple hundred feet of elevation over a half mile or so.

Making our way up.

Let me take a moment to say- frozen creeks are special to those with an adventurous soul. For 10 months of the year, these creeks are impassible. Most of the year, the only way to see the country around them is to climb above them on the ridge tops. From the bottom of a canyon, you really get a good perspective of how big everything truly is. 

What ho! An ice cave!

As we rounded the last corner of the canyon, we emerged into a hug bowl, with 360 degrees of mountains around us. At the head of the creek was an ice cave at the toe of a glacier.

We went inside (carefully) and were in awe of the amazing ice patterns around us. Tory took a few minutes to scramble around the cave. The ceiling was probably 40 feet high, and the walls went back 100 feet or so. 

We didn't stay long in the cave- they look sturdy, but you never know- and zipped down the canyon back out into the sun. We made our way back to the car and home, hungry and happy.

A view back toward the road, Thompson Pass, and many, many ski runs.