Return to Pipe Creek
It might not seem intuitive to most that Dad would return to Pipe Creek Snow Park after his last adventure there, but if one word describes Dad, it is persistent. If Dad decides he is going to enjoy himself; by golly, he is going to enjoy himself, even if it kills him. Pipe Creek was no exception.
This time, Dad left Mongo at home. Mongo’s back had been acting up, and though his condition has been slowly improving as he loses his holiday pounds, Dad decided to give him a rest.
Instead for this trip, Dad decided to drag Kimi and her friend Reed along. Dad rode his bike and met them at REI. Kimi ran there, and Reed drove so the crew could all get back home safely. Reed and Kimi rented X-C skis and boots. Dad had all his gear at home ready to go. The kids were good sports to humor ol’ Dad.
The next day dawned with a steely grey palette.
Keechelus Lake
Dad deftly piloted the truck through Snoqualmie pass and over into Central Washington State. As the team left the pass they opted to stop in Gunnar’s Cafe to grab a bite before heading to Blewitt pass. As they hopped out of the truck, their attention was drawn to some additional hopping over near the sidewalk.
Mountain Quail
They had surprised a pair of mountain quail in the parking lot. There was lots of scrambling on both sides as Kimi tried to get a picture and the quail tried to get away from Kimi.
The skiing as Pipe Creek was similar to the last rip. The snow was heavy again, and there was a little less cover then last time. Kimi and Reed valiantly followed Dad down the trail. Reed picked it up quickly and was soon doing better than Dad. Kimi took a little longer,
Kimi is an excellent downhill skier and carves the best turns int he family. But as Dad was learning, X-C skiing was done with the skiis flat on the snow. No Edging Allowed. Reed picked this up quickly. Dad learned by watching Reed. Kimi had a tough time transitioning from carved turns to skidded turns, but came along nicely by the time they finished up the day.
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- Standing up is the hard part
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- Kim & Reed at Pipe Creek
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- Pipe Creek Bear
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- Checking Coordinates
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- Pipe Creek Finale
Back at the car, the exhausted group piled in and headed for a local tourist destination, the tiny mining hamlet of Liberty, WA.
6 responses to “Return to Pipe Creek”
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Mongo’s gallery
Mongolope 
Looks like fun was had by all! Better use the snow now before it melts 😉 Oh, I guess that could be mountain you’re on and it doesn’t melt! ?
That one is a small mountain, and the snow is quickly melting. Probably our last snow-related outing.
I hope your back is much much better soon Mongo :o) I like it to read about ski-fun, it’s better to enjoy it via screen than to stand on the two wooden thingies with my own feet LOL
Mongo loves playing in the snow. Hopefully he will be back in shape for next winter.
I approve this message. Because you did not go out alone on the mountain. Taking Mongo is even worse than going alone, he was not much help last time.
That’s why I refer to him as “Mr. Helpful”.