Bob went to the ranch today. We had planned to go together but one of us had to stay home and take care of Chami. It was a lovely, mild day I really wanted to go but I’m better at nursing the patient and we thought the ski in might challenging and since Bob is much fitter than me (and just about all other humans) it made the most sense this way.

 

He called after a bit after dark to let me know all was well at our wilderness homestead. He’d had an easy drive down but indeed there was a wall of snow facing him at the turnoff from the paved highway and but the ski in was hellacious. The snow was heavy unset concrete. At the top of Wild Horse Ridge there was still an ice crust on the snow’s surface that he broke through with every step. He was on snow shoes because his injured toe doesn’t like the bending action of cross country skiing. It took him nearly four hours of pushing hard to cover the six miles of unplowed forest service road leading to the cabin.  I’m no longer jealous I had to stay behind.

 

Brumby was just about to finish eating all the bails of hay we’d left for him during our last visit so he was glad to see Bob. Still fat and Sassy, Brumby seems to be spending more time at the hay barn this year and less time up in the aspen grove wintering with the elk herd. I’m guessing it’s because there is more snow this year than we’ve had in nearly a decade. Bob figured there had been as much as five feet until a week ago when it got warm and rained on. Currently there is only three feet but it is very wet and dense. Did I mention I’m glad I remained in town?