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Near the Wyoming Border

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Shelly Ready For First Backcountry Ski of the Season

Today we drove up to just north of Columbine, Colorado, to get some backcountry skiing. The snow was fantastic and it was 25 degrees warmer than yesterday, though still below freezing.

As you can see there is about 3 feet of snow on the ground. Columbine is about 30 miles north of Steamboat and is really just a collection of old miners cabins. We used to gather our gang and rent out the place over Thanksgiving weekend hoping for enough snow for early season skiing. Great times were had by all.

One tradition we had was to ski up and down Hahn’s Peak, pictured below:

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It looks pretty high but is a minor peak for Colorado and there is an old mining road that winds to the summit.

Hahn’s was our original plan but we got a late start and so opted for the tour just north. The sun sets early though so our entire trip lasted only two hours. It was getting cold and we had the hot tub waiting:

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And so I conclude this entry with an appropriately mangled poem:

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But my ass is frozen and of beer I think,
And miles to go before I drink,
Miles to go before I drink…

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