April 1 - 9, 2003

Tuesday, April 1, 2003                                                               Breckenridge, CO

Today I fulfilled one of my goals for this ski season.  I climbed to the summit of Peak 8 at 12,998 feet.  Brad loaned me a special ski-carrier backpack to make it easier.  I went out alone today with fairly favorable conditions.  The skies were mostly clear with moderate temperatures and a manageable wind out of the southwest. 

The T-bar at Breckenridge delivers skiers to the highest elevation without having to hike.  It tops out at 12,146 feet.  This leaves only 852 feet of exposed ridgeline to reach the top of Peak 8.  I took my skis off and mounted them to the backpack and began my laborious ascent.  The path was already fairly well established, marked by steps kicked into the snow by previous trekkers.  I leaned heavily on my poles and inched upward in the thin air.  Nearly three months of acclimating to the mountainous air had aided in my effort.  I reached the summit with energy to spare after about 40 steady minutes of climbing.

I was looking forward to skiing down from the summit, but my primary interest was to enjoy the fantastic views and take a bunch of photographs.  I could see Mt. Elbert 14,433’ (Colorado’s highest) to the southwest and Pike’s Peak 14,110 to the southeast.  The nearer views of the Gore Range looking north and the Continental Divide to the east were spectacular.  I spent over a half hour drinking in the splendor before preparing for my descent.  The primary route involves dropping into the southeast-facing Imperial Bowl.  This is premium terrain during powder conditions, but today was far from optimal for the skiing.  I connected some wide turns through the soft snow and made my way back down to the lift-serviced parts of the mountains.

The final snowfall measurements for March totaled almost seven feet in Breckenridge.  Almost all of that fell in the second half of the month.

1) Joe's approach to Peak 8 summit.  2) Joe on the summit.  3) The Approach to the summit that Joe hiked up.  4) Copper Mountain from Peak 8 summit.  5) The Gore range of mountains from Peak 8 summit.

1) Mt. Elbert from Peak 8 summit.  2) Peak 7 ski area from Peak 8 summit.  3) Peak 8 from below.  4) Peak 8 ski area from Peak 8 summit.  5) Peak 9 and 10 ski areas from Peak 8 summit.

1) Peaks of Arapahoe basin and Keystone from Peak 8 summit.  2) Breckenridge ski area, Peaks 7 - 10.  3) Pikes Peak from Peak 8 summit.   4) Peaks from the NorthEast.

Wednesday, April 2, 2003                                                               Breckenridge, CO

Neither of us chose to ski today.  Christine is suffering through a cold and I was still abit tired from my hike yesterday.  We stayed in the RV and made it a quiet day.  Today was the final Wine & Cheese gathering for the ski season, so we got together with the remaining ski bums at the RV Park and said goodbye to many of them.

Thursday, April 3, 2003                                                               Breckenridge, CO

Christine got a good call this morning.  It was her first serious request for an interview, coming from a large community college in Dayton, Ohio.  They invited her to meet with them on Friday of next week.  We decided that we would leave Colorado Sunday and drive the RV back to Ohio, ending our ski season.

I went out alone and skied Breckenridge today while Christine began preparing for her first job interview.  The skiing today was the worst of the year.  The recent warm days and cold nights had turned the entire mountain into a chunk of concrete.  It was too cold and cloudy today for the snow to soften any at all.  I skied a few brutal runs and called it quits.  There was no fun to be had in these conditions.

Friday, April 4, 2003                                                                                   Breckenridge, CO

Christine and I joined Curt and Brad for a day of skiing at Copper Mountain.  They had reported over 6” of fresh snow this morning.  This spring powder has been amazing.  Cool temperatures have kept the snow dry and powdery—perfect for skiing.  We joined nearly a dozen other skiers from the RV Park when we got to Copper Mountain.  The conditions were excellent and we all did very well skiing together, even after Curt led us through some trees over a frozen waterfall.  It was all good.

The four of us got together later and drove into Breckenridge for a fine meal of Mexican food at Fiesta Jalisco.  Brad convinced Christine and me to delay our planned departure until Monday so that we could spend another day together Sunday and have Christine cook dinner.  We were having so much fun that it didn’t take much coaxing for us to agree.

Saturday, April 5, 2003                                                               Breckenridge, CO

There was little or no fresh snow to report this morning so we all decided not to ski.  We hooked up with Curt and Brad and joined them for breakfast at a diner in Frisco.  We ran around with them knocking out errands this morning and then spent a lazy afternoon before meeting up again for dinner.  There were about a dozen of us that got together for a rib dinner at the Arapahoe Café and Pub in Dillon.  Dinner was followed by a few games of pool and then we all regrouped at George’s house in Silverthorne for some after dinner drinks.  We were all saying our goodbyes since most RV skiers were planning to leave over the next few days.

Sunday, April 6, 2003                                                                        Breckenridge, CO

We got up early for our very last day of skiing this morning.  We met up with Curt and Brad by 8:30 and then Curt drove us up to Arapahoe Basin, “The Legend.”  Neither Christine nor I had skied there yet this season.  It was a cold windy day with about six fresh inches of powder.  We skied aggressively all morning enjoying some of the best skiing of the year.  Brad brought his video camera and took turns taping each of us looking our best on one of the bump runs.

We stopped for lunch and then ate some humble pie on the mountain as we failed to exhibit the same form that had made us look and feel so good this morning.  After we had all suffered some embarrassing falls, we decided to call it a day.  Today was my 52^nd day of skiing this season, surpassing last year’s mark of 50.  Christine enjoyed her 36^th day—not bad taking into account all the days she spent working on her job search.

Back at the RV Park, Christine got to make good on a promise to cook for all of us.  She used Curt’s kitchen and Brad’s salmon to whip up one of her fine meals.  I would have enjoyed it a lot more were it not for a disappointing case of diarrhea.  We hung around for a while discussing ways to see each other again.  And then we said our goodbyes.  Christine and I only regret not forming these friendships sooner in the season.  We both enjoyed their company so much.

1) A snowy morning in April!  That is the sun you see behind the snow.  2) Curt, Brad, and Joe standing in front of an East Wall peak at Arapahoe Basin.  Note the wind blowing off the peak in the back.  3-5) This is a panorama of Arapaho Basin.  Look closely at the row of cars right on the hill.  So many rv's.  This is called the Beach.  A-Basin is open the latest of all ski hills because it is at high elevation.  People camp, grill, and party on the beach in between spring skiing.  A-basin is a favorite of locals because it is pretty steep and has lots of great terrain.

Monday, April 7, 2003                                                               Russell, KS

We awoke to another powder day with 6-10” having fallen overnight at the nearby ski areas.  It was hard to leave, but I was in no shape to ski today.  Whatever ailed my stomach yesterday is still with me today making my life quite miserable.  We got on I-70 around 9:30 and began the long 1300-mile drive back to the Cincinnati area.  The roads were messy from the overnight snow, but things cleared up as we neared Denver.  It was a long windy day and we knocked out about 450 miles.

Tuesday, April 8, 2003                                                               St. Thomas, IL

We fought another day of crosswinds out of the north.  The RV fell out of alignment adding to the challenge of steering the RV.  We pushed over 500 miles east and stopped just across the Mississippi River near St. Louis.

Wednesday, April 9, 2003                                                               Bradford, KY

We completed our drive to my parents’ house in northern Kentucky on badly worn front tires, but without incident.  We reunited with my parents over a fine dinner.

By Christine: I have spent the last few days working hard to prepare for my interview.  As I haven't had many practice interviews prior to this I am making up for it in research and preparation.