AdventureCouple

After burning our thighs on the same 2 or 3 runs in the Mammoth Mountain crud the day prior, we loaded up our day packs and headed to the Mammoth Crest area just behind TJ Lake for some off-piste adventure. We skirted Lake George, hiking and skinning our way through the thinning snow beyond Lakes Barrett and TJ to an enticing bowl of Spring delight. The sun was shining, temperature climbing, but we made haste and got in some titillating turns in time to enjoy the Spring Sierra sweetness before it turned to mush! But the adventure did not end there.....

After returning safely to the truck, we were startled by a sudden violent rumbling that shook the basin for more than a minute. We looked up to see a massive cloud of dust and falling debris from the top of Crystal Crag. The spring snow melt had released a major slide of boulders and ice. We were across the lake from the Crag and no one was injured. But what an awe-inspiring experience it was!

AdventureWoman quickly skins her way up the bowl. TJ Lake is in the background below.

AdventureWoman gazes up at Mammoth Crest with a thawing TJ Lake in the background. Warm temperatures quickly transformed the lake into a mesmerizing kaleidescope of frosty white and aqua blue marble.

With the chaotic cacophony and rattling din of Sin City far behind them, the next stop on Adventure Couple's Spring Tour landed them in the heart of the beautiful Eastern Sierra mountains where they were in hot pursuit of luscious Spring snow in the back country.

Adventure Woman gazes over the Little Lakes Valley toward Mt. Abbott. The hike to the snow pack was long, but it's always worth it!

Adventure Man leads the trek with his trusty whippet grip. Springtime is feigns winter, but Adventure Couple will not be daunted by idle threats of precipitation!

Spring delivers on its wintery threat, engulfing the terrain (and Adventure Couple) in large, lush snow flakes.

An ice ax comes in handy for self-belaying up steep, snow-covered mountainsides. Adventure Woman demonstrates the technique just above Ruby Lake.

The skis are on and Adventure Woman is on the skis! It's not quite Mt. Abbott, but it sure beats boot-hiking!

Adventure Couple has three Rules of Engagement when pursuing adventures. 1. Come back safe. 2. Come back friends and 3. Have fun. While we didn't make it to Mt. Abbott, we remained true to our rules. We had fun, came back safe and DEFINITELY came back friends! XOXOXO

With spring in full swing and romance in the air, we began our spring road trip with a visit to Las Vegas for Neil and Nancy's wedding. The last time we were in the Vegas area (at the Red Rocks Rendezvous), we avoided the ubiquitous I-15 Sunday traffic by taking a long, scenic drive through the Mojave desert. This time, however, we would escape the traffic by heading North and continuing onward towards adventure! It seemed like a fine excuse for a road trip.

Our Vegas experience began at The Mandalay Bay where we gathered with friends and family to witness and celebrate the love and marriage of Neil and Nancy. The ceremony was joyous and, in Vegas style, expeditious. A lovely dinner reception took place immediately following the ceremony at the Smith and Wollensky Steakhouse on The Strip. We very much enjoyed getting to know Neil and Nancy's families and the many friends we had not met before. Hugs and cheers you, Neil and Nancy! We wish you many happy years of marital bliss!

Wedding behind us, I continued my first-ever Vegas experience exploring the casinos along The Strip. I found it to be more than a little surreal. It was fun to spend time with my friends, have a few drinks and to forget about the "real world." I guess the unreality of the whole place is a big part of the appeal. However, the sense of disconnection with the real, the timelessness of windowless casinos and the constant assault of commerce wore me thin pretty quickly. On Monday morning, as we rolled North into the serene and open Nevada desert, I felt a strong sense of relief as I began to reconnect with the world. Give me the real, any day!

(click on any image for a larger view)

While most Southern Californian skiers have hung up their skiis for the season, AdventureCouple and other back country ski enthusiasts head for the corn-snow encrusted hills. This weekend was no exception--except for the fact that we didn’t exactly go into the back country. We went to Mammoth!

Conditions were VERY spring-like. Slushy on the bottom, but quite good on top. John and MaryAnn joined us on Saturday morning and we did a number of laps on the freshly-groomed, uncharacteristically velvety Cornice Bowl. Of course, we also made time to pose for a photo at the top of the gondola.

Due to limited lift operations, we put our legs to work and hiked up various parts of the mountain to access some our favorite descents—Paranoid 2, Dropout and our daily grand finale: the Avy I chute, which required a sloppy traverse across a slope of sun-cupped snow, tree branches, dirt and rock, followed by a ten-minute boot hike up Lincoln Mountain. The snow was sheer poetry under foot--except for the tree top that Brian clipped as he was dropping into the Avy chute on Sunday! Although he bruised his ankle (and ego?)his graceful recovery enabled him to descend the chute in good form!

Each day ended with cocktails and dinner with John and MaryAnn, our favorite Bishop Inn keepers! AdventureCouple has never had it so good!

In fact, when you need a beautiful floral or gift arrangement for someone, be sure to order from MaryAnn's business, ALPINE FLORAL DESIGN. Her creations are stunning! Email her at alpinefloraldesign@yahoo.com or call her at (760) 937-5354. She really knows how to deliver!

If you've read the previous entries, you already know that Southern California is not just about the bleach-blonde silicon sisters of Baywatch. It's a land of mountains. As the warmth of spring begins to toast the backcountry ski runs in the San Gabriels, AdventureCouple's thoughts turn to climbing. What better way to kick back on sunny spring afternoon than to pull some granite on the high boulders of Horse Flats.

Hiking up the approach trail, I noticed a lot more mountain bike tracks than the last time I was there. It looks like a pretty good run in the opposite direction...noted for the future! As we approached our chosen boulder (an easy one!) we spied a party of three at work on its face. We joined the group, and began to trade encouragement, crash pads, spots and copious beta. In that way, bouldering is at the opposite end of the climbing social spectrum from alpinism. Good. A friendly, fun afternoon of digit dangling and heel hooking was just what we were looking for.

Greg hookin' the heel

After we each had a bunch of tries on the nearby problems, our fingers were toast so we headed back down for dinner at a local classic, Newcomb's Ranch. A resturant/bar has operated at that remote site on the Angeles Crest Highway since 1936. The land is a historic inholding of the Newcomb family from the turn of the 20th century and before that was the stomping grounds of famous bandit Tiburcio Vasquez. Newcomb's is a also popular gathering place for motorcycle riders on the weekends. On our way to Horse Flats fifty bikes or so were out front; on our way home most were gone. Just as well, we got to enjoy a good, hearty meal and our local Craftsman microbrew in quiet serenity of that historic site. I love my local mountains!