Another California trip and then back to skiing, snowshoeing

Pillars of ice hang off the Kings Hill cabin at the beginning of our trip

Over the precipitous couloir at beginning of Deadman trip

On the Deadman Ridge

Katie's girls on 747 route

Ideal snow aesthetics on 747 trip

 I flew back to California to pick up my wife and drove she and her car back to Great Falls this week.  I've taken three trips there and spent about a month since mid-December.

While in the Golden State I enjoyed bluebird winter weather that climbed to as high as 79 degrees while I hiked in the Folsom Lake State Recreation Area.  This time I carefully avoid the poison oak that marred my last trip.

Katie's Dad seems to be handling his chemotherapy well, and so she felt safe to leave for now.

Our drive back home was in gorgeous weather, through a clear and dry Donner and Monida passes.

It feels like we are commuting.

After a couple of days recuperating from the drive I headed back into the Little Belts for a backcountry ski trip on the Deadman route and a snowshoe trip with Katie's girls to show them the new 747 route.

The conditions for the skiing trip were so-so, with fresh powder overlying a crust that made the tele-turns less than optimal.

Despite high winds signaling an approaching cold front, 747 was gloriously beautiful because of the fresh snow.

I wasn't crazy about doing 747 on snowshoes because I prefer skiing, things worked out and we had a great time.