Five Birds - February 23, The Greatest Day of 08' so Far

Cam and I woke up early on the 23rd to head up to the Bird. While we transferred gear from his car to my truck we took a gander up at our mountains. They were covered by dark clouds that were over-looking the valley as if to say to all early rising red-cheeked optimistic skiers (I like adjectives today), “Not today.” Now, of course clouds don’t think, let alone perform not to subtle intimidation aimed at people trying to escape the nappy snowless valley for a few hours. They are, in fact, evaporated water molecules that have condensed as they have risen up the mountains to most likely jettison their extra weight on the slopes in order to complete the journey across the peaks, but for the sake of antagonist vs. protagonist and tension and so on, we are going to pretend these are evil clouds. If you need to, take a break and get your noggin wrapped around that and then continue.

We wondered what awaited us inside the belly of the beast, and we did not waver. School, work, marriage, kids, and lets not forget the forever rising ticket prices have stopped my friends and I from shredding the slopes. We gave the beast a quadruple Bird and headed east. On the belly outskirts we found that we may have underestimated our beast. The fog was thick and getting thicker the higher we got. Struggling to follow solid ground we both worried that the beast may overcome, and that visibility would be so bad that if we tried boarding Gad 2 we would smack into a tree, staying alive just long enough to realize how bad our nads hurt. We did not voice these concerns for the sake of morale, and just focused on the humming of the brave engine.

Then, when we thought all hope was lost and we would never return, there it was! A ray of light.

“Is that the sun?” I said.

“We’re gonna get above it!”

We shot out of the beast’s colon two seconds later like triumphant heroes of old. We had found the bluest sky one has ever seen. It was spotless. In the midst of our celebration I forgot I was driving and nearly killed us both. I eventually checked my emotion and gained control of the vehicle.

In the wake of the beast was some of the lightest powder I have ever experienced. The trees of Gad 2 welcomed us with open limbs and smiled upon us as we darted in between them leaving fresh tracks and worry behind.

Let this be a lesson to you all, “He who braves the storm without fear and endures when it seems that all hope is lost, will board some of the sickest cherry cherry pow pow known to man.” That’s in the Bible somewhere, I think. And if it isn’t, it really should be.