As a compliment to guiding work, I happen to be lucky enough to have a side job as a field assistant to Chris Landry, master snow scientist form Silverton. Together we just completed an 1100 mile tour of Colorado digging pits on the passes of the Great Divide, looking for dust in the snowpack. We found heavy concentrations of dust near the southwest part of the state due to proximity to the drier climes of our nation, which will be a factor in the melt off rate of snow when, if ever, the sun comes out. Overall the snow has been bountiful in most of the state especially up north near Summit County and Steamboat where the snowpack finished out at over three meters deep! This is good news for skiers, boaters and water managers west wide. Guiding is fun, science is interesting, next season Mountain Goat will transition further towards education of the next generations in such relevant topics as climate studies, ecosystem awareness, and human interaction. Until then I plan to plant a garden, ride the runoff, and sleep out under the stars as much as possible.
0 comments:
Post a Comment