Lily and I didn't need to really discuss our plans for the next day. It went something like this..."Wanna go do the buttes again?" "Yup." "Set the alarm for 6:30?" "Yup." And there we were. Taking 89 N to 49 W. Cruising along through the Lake Tahoe Natn'l Forest. We got to Basset's by 9:30 and jumped on the SkiDoo 600. Being the third day in a row it seemed like we were just going through the motions. We got to the sled drop spot and began splitting our boards. The sun was really shining today with no hint of clouds anywhere in the distance. The consistency of the snow was evidently changed as our skin track was very firm instead of the nice soft powder of a day before. We made good time initially, climbing over lots of patches of rocks and a small creek numerous times. We skirted around the first lake, then across the second (far enough back in the mountains that it stays frozen even when you're sweating in a T-shirt!!). Then we started to climb up through the lower trees angling up and R to the more pronounced drainage and the Young Americas (an amazing collection of cliff bands and chutes that really need to be ridden!!). For the third day in a row I leave my new Spark R n D board crampons in the car thinking it will be soft the whole way. Then I started slipping backwards in the skintrack a few times thinking to myself how silly I am for purposefully forgetting them again. We battle on through the first two distinct climbs and then take a quick snack break, soaking in the absolute stillness of the area. So huge and striking the mountains are, yet completely still and quiet as if at a orchestra hall. Somehow the summit harbors a healthy amount of trees, covered in a brine and ice shield that reminds me of my neck gator on a good storm day. We boot pack up the last headwall, kicking steps through tear drop ice formations that are luckily only a couple of inches thick (although we did have our boot crampons with us just in case we wanted to get spunky and explore some of the other cirques and summits that angle up from the lower drainages). We booted up and met up at the bent over tree marking the beginning of the run. I dropped in first and luckily the firm snow gave way to softer more malleable snow that I was able to make my normal turns down (thankfully since we WERE traversing over 2-300' cliffs!!) before cutting R and dropping into the first drainage to the L. I let Lily pass me and she was courteous enough to take a video of me dropping the steepie crux into the second sustained gully section. It wasn't quite as soft as the day before and my aggressive turns tossed up some chunky snow that made it interesting a few times (variable surface to ride on!!). Then the half pipe carve session ensued that made me giggle like a school boy for 800+ feet of high speed carving. Then it was over, back at the lake looking up like "really?!!" We just did that AGAIN?!! Very few words were spoke on the way back. We were both reliving the run of a lifetime over and over again!!! I must have glanced back a couple hundred times on the skin back to the sled!! We rolled back to Basset's where I convinced Lily to ride the 600 while I took out Greg's 800. We rode back up the road toward Packer's Saddle for 15 minutes before Lily had enough. Loud smelly fast machines aren't quite her cup of tea (yet!!). On the way home we had to turn back to Greg's after realizing we didn't have enough gas to get home (he lives out in EBF!!). Luckily the snowmobile shop (Tim's) in Sierraville just opened a 24 hr pump, so we didn't have to sleep at Greg's after all!! Lily drove and I passed out too fast for words. I think a rest day is in the cards!! Pic Descriptions: 1. Lily coming down the first gully after traversing the hanging snowfield (up and R out of pic). 2. Lily nearing the summit (10 min left). 3. Just another spectacular view on the way up!! 4. Lily skinning past the exit gully 5. The point where the free ride ends!! We hiked from here to the top hanging snowfield (next to the huge tree in pic) three days straight!!
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