Avalanche Rescue Dogs

The other day I had the opportunity to be involved in a demonstration with an avalanche rescue dog. Lots of ski resorts keep dogs around because in the event of an avalanche they can sniff you out from underneath quite a bit of snow. The bad news is that it takes some time for your scent to waft up through the snow, so a dog rescue is still a last resort. The best plan is not getting caught in the first place. In any case, here's how dog rescues work.

Step 1: Get in a hole in the snow

Step 2: Get inescapably sealed in

Step 3: Let Jake the avalanche dog sniff around and dig you out. (Kind of a bad picture.)

Step 4: Play tug o' war with Jake the avalanche dog. That's his reward; the promise of getting to play keeps him motivated. Plus he pulls really hard, which can help you get out of the hole in the ground.

Did you know

that this stunning view is only 14.67 miles from my house? I can go places like this on weekday mornings before work. Life is good.

Hey I still have a blog! Neat!

I've been skiing the backcountry lately. It combines the painful exertion of cross country skiing with the epic wipeouts of downhill skiing. It's awesome.

Almost on top...

A quick descent after hours of climbing

That's a faceplant.

Arrrrgh

Enough with the rain already.

If you didn't know, it's been raining in Salt Lake for at least the last 3 weeks. According to the weather forecast, there was a 60% chance of rain in the Wasatch today, so I figured I wouldn't get to do any climbing and I slept in instead. When I got up, the sky was blue and nearly cloudless, so I decided I'd have a go at Reynolds Peak (9,422 ft above sea level) since it looked like a short, relatively easy local climb. When I got to the trailhead, the sky was still blue. About twenty minutes into the hike, I felt a few drops of rain and the air had that feel to it that said "It's gonna pour, fool!" (In my imagination, the air talks like Mr. T.) I reached in my pack to get my rain coat, only to realize I'd left it at the house. I turned around. On my way back to the truck, it started pouring. I started jogging, only to arrive at the truck under bluebird skies. I guess in the end I made the right choice by turning around since the lightning started soon afterward. Still, this unending weather situation is unbearable.

Rafting

Not climbing, but it was an adventure. Ryan (who works in Montana) had a 3-day weekend and I was getting antsy sitting around Salt Lake, so we decided to float the Snake River in Wyoming this weekend. So I rented a raft from the U and headed up on Friday afternoon. We camped out a few miles south of the town of Jackson. It rained all night.

Saturday morning, we got up and headed to the river. We looked like this at the put-in spot:The high temperature was 53 degrees Fahrenheit, and the sun never came out. The water of course came from melting snow. The river was flooded and fast. We had an average speed 6.5 mph, and a max speed of 12.4 mph in some rapids. It rained all day.

After dinner, we went to bed around 9 because it was still raining and we didn't want to sit around outside. It rained all night.

If you ever find yourself in Jackson, Wyoming, leave. It is an unholy tourist trap with more T-shirt shops per capita than any other town in the USA. Seriously, I saw a T-shirt shop next to a T-shirt shop. If you want to buy a T-shirt proclaiming "I got drunk in Jackson, Wyoming", Jackson is the place to be. If you want to gorge yourself on all-you-can-eat buffets, guzzle clear alcohol diluted with high fructose corn syrup and take pictures in front of a place called "Cowboy Bar," (2 shows nightly!) go to Jackson. If you want to wiggle your way through a suffocatingly dense horde of obese retirees waddling around the town square, go to Jackson.

If you want to have fun, explore the surrounding countryside. Just south of Grand Teton National Park, it's in a great location. At least I assume it is, but the weather kept me from getting a good view.

Spring Training

Shaping up...ish. Maybe I'll be in decent shape by the time the snow melts.