Monday, January 22, 2018

Art of Snow Caves II with the Branch Hoppers

The Branch Hoppers arrived at Cascades Montessori surprisingly energetic and alert in spite of the fact it was 8:00am on a Saturday. Hopping aboard our bus Moose we headed out Highway 542 in search of snow. Cruising along the North Fork of the Nooksack River the Explorers marveled at the Bald Eagles perched in the old growth.
Arriving at the upper parking lot of the Mt. Baker Ski Area the weather felt unusually warm and comfortable. Circling up at the backcountry gate the mentors asked for the group to focus for a safety discussion, and reminded everyone that venturing out into the backcountry during winter required careful tracking of weather and a heightened awareness of hazards that are present.
Together the group was challenged to remember what safety terminologies and guidelines we had discussed on our previous snow cave outings. We reviewed: backcountry travel and etiquette, avalanche prone slopes and their degree of angle, terrain traps and cornices, wind loading, storm slab, loose wet snow avalanches, tree well hazards, dehydration, protecting layers and gear in a wet environment, and sticking together as a group.
Building upon this knowledge the mentors gave a talk on the previous two weeks weather and snowfall in relation to: the daily temperature, amount of rain/snowfall, precipitation in relation to snowpack stability, wind direction and speed, direction of wind loading on slopes due to transportation of snow, NWAC’s detailed avalanche forecast and current level of danger rating, and recent observations skiers had made of in the backcountry.
The boys were anxious to get digging but the mentors needed to mention one other important point. We are very clear with the Explorers that just because they are learning information relating to avalanche awareness and backcountry winter travel that does not give them license to duck the ropes while at the ski area or venture out into the winter wilderness without supervision or an experienced adult.
Leading the charge the Explorers headed out on a path that offered a safe and efficient travel route to their identified snow cave building location. Stepping out of the boot pack to let a few skiers go past the boys sank up to their waists into the snow. Trudging, post-holing, and pushing their way up slope the group looked like a pack of sled dogs. It’s powerful to see the Explorers developing a familiarity and affinity for this landscape.
Setting up base camp the group honed in on a spot roughly on a twenty-degree slope with a deep wind deposited snow bank. Walking out a perimeter around the snow cave site as to not compress the snow, the boys used a probed and determined that the depth was roughly seven feet. Digging out a platform the boys excavated six feet vertically, throwing the snow down slope.
Initially the work went quickly. Outlining the entrance of their cave the Explorers used a snow-saw to cut blocks out of the wall until a shoulder-wide entrance to the cave went roughly three feet back. From this point the work of digging gets tough until the cave gets big enough to sit up in. Adding to the day’s difficulty was the mentor’s mistake in banking on the Explorers bringing extra shovels. With only two shovels at our disposal the work went slow and half the group played while the other worked.
Stopping for a snack the group cut out a small kitchen space with a wind block next to the cave and Brian set up a stove to make some peppermint tea. As our snow melted and came to a boil we sat back and looked out at Table Mountain while we basked in the touch and go sunshine. The mild weather came much to our surprise as NOAA’s forecast had called for rain and temps around forty, which can be miserable without the knowledge of how to stay warm and dry in those tough conditions.
The boys really enjoyed identifying the previous week’s avalanches across the valley. From a distance the mentors tried to help the group orient to the scale and size of the slides and if they looked to be natural releases or human triggered. Being in the presence of the mountains has the power to humble both mentor and Explorer alike as it provides a window into forces much greater than ourselves. This shift in perspective calls us to be present and engaged, increases our discernment, encourages forethought and reflection, and is restorative in nature.
One take-away our mentors have had time and time again with the Branch Hoppers is that they love being together in the mountains. Whether it watching the tea boil and the sun travel over the peaks, engaging in the skill of snow caving, or body sliding down the hill and throwing snowballs at each other, they couldn’t get enough!
We ended up making a snow cave big enough for one person and set-up a sleeping bag and pad inside to see what it would feel like to weather a night there. Demolishing our cave was seemingly more fun than building it! After making a sweep around our camp we made our way back to the wilderness rope line to gather up for a circle of thanks.
The Branch Hoppers were thankful for the opportunity to be in the mountains, for all the knowledge gained through the experience, for the creative medium of snow, for deep spring snowpack that provides us drinking water, for quality gear that enriches our experience, for pleasantly surprising weather, and for being reminded of the lesson that the hardest part is getting out the door and how that most of the time the experience is rich and rewarding. Brain and I are thankful to spend another day in the mountains with this fine crew of arriving adults.

For more pictures from our outing please visit the Branch Hopper’s photo album from the day.