More Couch HQ improvements (west elk pass)
Trip date: Tuesday Jan 03, 2023
Submitted by MaSid
Particpants:
Discussion:
Big bull elk wanting to cross the road just north of fortress gas station this morning. -14 in the pkg lot at 930, -10 on return at 330. Strong winds in the parking lot made for a bit more debri on fox ck. Winds more moderate further up the trail. But still a cloudy and cool day up at the border. You can see the pesky elk pass cloud from hwy 40 on the way in. If it’s thick and flowing past the border and over lookout and blueberry, less likely to clear out. If it’s thin and not overflowing, chances are it might clear in the afternoon. Snowing lightly at the border and south into BC all day. Only the trees were dancing. The road under the power line has been freshly plowed again, at least to the west elk meadow exit. The track through the meadows did not get filled in by wind sift. Put in the lower blueberry meadow route after some couch work and reversed course to pack it more. Ankle ski pens! LT gear probably best for now on lower blueberry until more travel.