Tania Williamson

10am – GROOMED today:

• Starlight
• Caboose and Cabin Lanes
• Essex Road
• Highline
• Essex Creek
• River Trail
• River Loop
• About 1.5 miles of Dickey Road

GROOMED yesterday:

• Pileated
• Towering Pines
• Upper and Lower Dickey Loop
• Spring Hill Down

Essex Local, Tango, enjoying fresh tracks on Upper Dickey Loop, 3/16/2023

6:45am – It is a gorgeous, clear, starry morning with a slight nip in the air. It is 16 degrees. We are forecast a high of 43 degrees and mostly sunny. Check back later for the grooming report.  Have you noticed the snow fleas are out and about the past couple of weeks?

Snow Fleas are wingless insects that are not a flea at all, they are more like crustaceans (crabs, shrimp, spiders, scorpions). They are arthropods, have 6 legs and move by walking and jumping. They are only 2-4 mm long and are around most of the year. Snow fleas are very common but go unnoticed due to their small size and dark color. At this time of year, when the days are warm and sunny, snow fleas make their way up through the snow, likely in search of food so they are easy to spot.

Have fun finding snow fleas on the trails today, they should be abundant.

Happy St Patrick’s Day!!!

9:30 Update: Shaping up into a gorgeous day! The skies are clearing, lotsa blue out there! New forecast…high of 38* and mostly sunny skies.

GROOMED:

• Starlight
• Caboose and Cabin Lanes
• Essex Rd
• Towering Pines
• Pileated
• Spring Hill Down
• Upper Dickey Loop
• Lower Dickey Loop

Happy National Panda Day. I wonder how a Panda Bear would like Montana and if they would be friends with the Bears we have here. Our bears are still hibernating, no sightings heard of yet in Essex or the surrounding areas. They usually begin to be spotted in late March to early April. The Giant Panda is the most well known of the two types of Pandas. Panda bears do not hibernate. They have the digestive system of a carnivore but have adapted to a vegetarian diet, mostly bamboo. They eat for 12-14 hours a day because their digestive system isn’t made to break down plant matter and they have to eat huge amounts to get what they need. There are many more interesting things to learn at wwf.panda.org. All this Panda talk makes me want an Oreo.

Just a few more weeks of the season! Get out here to enjoy it while you can! We have a 45 inch settled base so it should last us til the end of our grooming season. It is currently 22* and cloudy. We are forecast a high of 33* and partly sunny skies. I will report back later with the grooming update.

 

9:45am – GROOMED:

• Starlight
• Caboose and Cabin Lanes
• Essex Road
• Kendi’s Crossing
• Pileated
• Towering Pines
• Highline
• Essex Creek
• Spring Hill Down
• Lower Dickey Loop
• River Trail
• River Loop

6:30am no 5:30am no 6:30am – Daylight Saving Time…It was used on and off in the early 1900s, but there was no standard. For decades, Daylight Saving in the USA was a confusing patchwork of local practices. In 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act and made Daylight Saving the standard throughout our country. It was originally used as a way to conserve energy.

I know my energy would be way better if I got my normal amount of sleep last night.

Did you know???????????

It is Daylight SAVING Time, not SAVINGS. It was not intended to benefit farmers, that the agriculture industry was actually deeply opposed to it. Hawaii and Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Nation) do not observe Daylight Saving Time.

*All DST info was gleaned from history.com*

The moon is waning, you can’t quite tell in the pic below taken this morning but it is. It is snowing gently. It is 17 degrees on the back porch of the Inn. We are forecast for 40 degrees and a mostly sunny day. It is going to be sparkly and gorgeous out there. The groomer is having a good ol time making perfect corduroy for all of you.

9am – BEAUTIFULLY GROOMED

• Starlight
• Caboose and Cabin Lanes
• Spring Hill
• Essex Road
• Kendi’s Crossing
• Highline
• Essex Creek
• Pileated
• Upper Dickey Road
• Dickey Road from Upper Dickey to Essex Road

8am – GROOMED – Starlight, Spring Hill, Upper Essex Rd (to Kendi’s), Kendi’s Crossing, working on Highline, Essex Creek, Pileated (The plan is to leave Towering Pines ungroomed for those of you who love some fluffy pow!) and then maybe some more…..will keep you posted

6:30am – There’s a whole lot of light, fluffy, sparkly snow! We received 5-6 inches over night. The groomer is out and smoothing some of that powder into smooth corduroy. It is currently 13 degrees. We are forecast a high of 33 degrees with a 40% chance of a little more snow. Good Morning.

8:30am – It’s snowing. It’s beautiful. Get the corduroy while you can!!!!

GROOMED:

• Starlight
• Caboose and Cabin Lanes
• Spring Hill
• Essex Road
• Pileated
• Towering Pines
• Highline
• Essex Creek
• and that’s all for now folks……………………………

6:30am – Friday has arrived and the NWS is predicting a storm. The lion continues to bring March in. It is currently 17 degrees. We are forecast a high of 28 degrees and a 100% (yes, they say 100%) chance of 4-8 inches of snow today and more through the night. The groomer is out and freshening up the trails but got out there early if you want to reap the corduroy. It isn’t snowing yet but can start any moment.

 

Why wasn’t the lion honest?

Because then it wouldn’t be a lyin’ anymore.

10:30am update: GROOMED this morn: Starlight, Caboose and Cabin Lanes, Lower Essex Road (Starlight to Dickey), Spring Hill, Upper Dickey, River Trail, River Loop, Dickey Road from Upper Dickey to Essex Road……YESTERDAY: Upper Essex Road (Starlight to Kendi’s), Highline Down, Essex Creek Down, Boy Scout Crossover, Shortcut

This Beautiful Morning!!!!

6am – Happy Thursday. According to nationaltoday.com, it is National Get Over It Day. It is a day to encourage yourself and those around you to self reflect, figure out what is weighing on you and let it go. Let the past be the past, learn from it and move forward. It is currently 6 degrees. We are forecast a high of 33 degrees with partly sunny skis and potential for gusty winds and a wind chill below zero this afternoon. It sure felt good in the sun yesterday! Took the chill right out of the day.

Seems like a perfect set up to work on moving forward…..a little sunshine, a nip to the air and cruising beautiful corduroy on fantastic trails to leave some of the heavy stuff behind you. The groomer is out and an update will follow. In case you didn’t get a chance to see the Worm Moon, I got a great shot for you from Monday night.

10:30 – GROOMED: Starlight, Caboose and Cabin Lanes, Pileated, Towering Pines, Highline, Essex Creek, Kendi’s Crossing, Essex Road, Spring Hill Down, Dickey Road

7:45 – GROOMED: Starlight, Caboose and Cabin Lanes, Pileated, Towering Pines, Highline, Essex Creek, Kendi’s Crossing, Essex Road to Kendi’s, Spring Hill

6:30am – Such beautiful sunshine yesterday, will we get more today? It is SUNday after all. The NWS is forecasting partly sunny skis and a high of 24 degrees. It is currently 22 degrees and mostly cloudy. Grooming is in progress.

Why didn’t the sun go to college?

Because it has a million degrees!

FUN FACT: The temperature of the sun varies from approximately 27 million degrees Fahrenheit at the core to approximately 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit at the surface. (according to NASA)

Image credit: Xurzon via Getty Images

 

9:00AM: All of Essex Road, Lower Dickey Loop and River Trail successfully groomed!

7:45am: GROOMED: Starlight, Spring Hill, Caboose and Cabin Lanes, Essex Road to Kendi’s, Pileated, Highline, Essex Creek

Plan is to head to Lower Dickey, River Trail and finish Essex Road…..

6:30am – After a few gorgeous day of snow, the skies cleared for a bit last evening. The moon was high in the sky by 6pm. By 7pm, I was able to see my moon shadow and stars twinkling.  Sometime during the night, we got a couple more inches of snow and now the skies are clearing again. We are approaching the full moon. The moon will be full in the early morning hours on Tuesday, March 7, so Monday night will be optimal moon peeping. We have chances of snow in our forecast the next few evenings so if you love a full moon (like I do) you have to appreciate it on any clear or clear-ish night you can, even when it is not quite full. This is our last full moon of the winter season. It is called the Worn Moon, named for beetle larvae emerging from the thawing bark of trees and other winter hideouts. It is also know as the Eagle Moon, Goose Moon, Sugar Moon, Wind Strong Moon and Sore Eyes Moon. (full moon info from almanac.com) Have you ever enjoyed a ski or snowshoe by moonlight? Highly recommended!

It is currently 19 degrees with some clouds in the sky. We are forecast a high of 36 and a partly sunny day with a slight chance of snow. The groomer is out turning some of that pretty powder into corduroy.  Grooming is completed on Starlight, Caboose and Cabin Lanes, Essex Road to Kendis and likely a loop or 2 more but I gotta wait to hear from the dude in the machine for factual information.

8am Update: GROOMED: Starlight, Cabin and Caboose Lane, Spring Hill, Pileated, Towering Pines, Kendi’s Crossing, Highline, Essex Creek, Essex Road and Upper Dickey Loop.

6:45am – Happy Friday! It is snowing so get out there early if you want to enjoy the beautiful corduroy that is currently being spread all over trails. If fresh corduroy is not your thing, it is looking like we are in a winter weather advisory until 8pm. It could deliver 1-3 inches of fresh powder for your delight as you cruise around the trails. It is currently 25 degrees with a forecasted high of 29 degrees. Potential for some gusting winds. It was beautiful to be in the woods yesterday as the wind blew snow out of the trees….very snowglobe-y.

So far, GROOMED: Starlight, Cabin and Caboose Lane, Spring Hill, Essex Road to Kendi’s…..check back for an update in awhile!

What happened to the cow that was swept up by a tornado?

It was an udder disaster!

 

10:30am –

GROOMED with PistenBully: Pileated, Essex Road (Starlight to Dickey) , Starlight, Cabin and Caboose Lanes, and Shortcut/Boy Scout Cross-Over

SNOMOGROOMED: Essex Road (Starlight to Kendi’s), Highline Up, Essex Creek Up

Good Morning!

It is 23* and cloudy, very lightly snowing on the walk to work. We are forecast for a high of 34* with a 90% chance snow. There is potential for 1-3 inches today and 2-4 inches tonight. Keep it coming!!! The groomer will be out shortly. Look for updates later.

Kendi’s Crossing snow stake is showing our settled base right around 58 inches, almost 5 feet of snow! This last storm has really added to our base total. I am heading out now to check the Starlight snow stake. Winter is passing very quickly. Spring Equinox in March 19, just right around the corner. Enjoy the snow while you can!