Dam icicles & fresh Bear tracks

The other day Bob, Peggy & I along with the dogs went up to the dam , it was a beautiful sunny day and 20 degrees so we decided to head to the dam before it got too warm. On our way there we did a couple of repairs to our road and the bridges we had built out of snow we made it. While we were at the big slide repair and while watching the dogs checking things out I noticed some tracks I knew weren't the dogs, even Peace's big feet were no match for these tracks, they belong to a very early bear that is confused by this weather and lack of snow so he's already moving around. I went out Tues morning to meet Bob & Peggy at the garage I thought I saw some tracks that looked like bear tracks coming this way but knew it was just too early for them to be moving and so thought we might just have a very big wolf out here, well after seeing these tracks on Thur I realized I had seen bear tracks.
While going to the dam and climbing almost 800' elevation from my house we found almost 1' of POW. These are just a few photos I took while at the dam and on the road to the dam. The top 2 photos are icicles from the dam that are getting bigger everyday. The 2 lower photos are of the bear tracks that were on the road to the dam. The dogs went a little crazy wanting to find him, it really kept them busy and got Peace to stop looking for the dipper bird to chase.
The conditions out and about are really great for being able to really go anywhere and if you are looking to do some backcountry touring either snowmobile or skiing you really can't ask for much better conditions. The Phelps Creek TH road is clear and has 2-6" of POWder and closer to the TH almost 10-12", even though the base is great it isn't as frozen as it had been so makes for great exploring. Since we have seen temps in the 40's each day the afternoon's are better for snowmobiles especially since the trail is very hard and icy in some places, but ice scratcher's help greatly, late afternoon's you might post hole in some places as the snow softens late afternoon, as soon as the sun goes behind the mountains though the snow is quick to firm back up. These are the things that make living here so great, everyday is something different, spending time with my dogs watching them enjoy life, the only thing that would make it better is having someone to ashare it with.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too. Peace

New Snow & Artist Conch babies

Yesterday when we went hiking it was starting to snow lightly and as the day progressed the snow got heavier. We had quite a few snowmobilers & friends come visit some we haven't seen since Peace was 8 weeks old and Bear & Lillie weren't even here yet. Our friends Dan, Jen, Jake, Jared, Allan, Chris, and some friends of their's came out riding and have helped me out in different situations over the years, it was good to see them.
The top photo was taken during the snowfall yesterday, the middle photo is this morning after the snow stuck everywhere.

The bottom photo is actually a fungi commonly called an artist conch, as you can see it grows in and on dead trees and what you are seeing is the fruit of said fungi, which after growing and covering the outside of dead trees people remove them, dry them out and then use them for a canvas for paintings and other art work, some we have found are over 15" across. The photo is of the bottom side of the fruit which is just starting to form but will be solid off white and dries to the texture of an artist canvas. I have found them all over out here in many different sizes and shapes some only possible to see when there is 10-12' of snow because they are so high in the trees/snags.
I'm not an artist, I can't even draw stick figures without a ruler or template but I do have a good eye I believe and see lots of possibilities with them from their beginnings like the photo to those that are multi-faced or 1' across, so until I learn to draw, I might just have to collect them for friends that are artist like Amanda & Rusty Gibbs and see what we ca come up with together.


I am grateful for the new snow and hope to see another 2' or more of snow so that it won't be so dry this summer. Everyone that has been here during the winter & come out here this winter are shocked to see so much of the buildings out here at this time of year, we are usually buried in snow and basically live in an ice cave for 3-4 months with only a way out and a couple of places to look out front and back. I normally have to climb up and then down to get to my porch 4-5' and usually getting i the powerhouse means climbing down 10-12' just to get inside it, this year I made steps in Jan and haven't had to dig another thing since which has been nice for sure but it's not good for keeping the fire danger down. Get out and enjoy the beautiful POW, get some fresh air, and enjoy the natural beauty all around.

We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.