Snow shape.

Taken somewhere between Chasm Junction and a treeline:

Opening the season (Chasm Junction hike).

As an opening hike for this season we (Shamil' and me) decided to go for Chasm Junction (elevation 9400 feet), having in mind Meeker as an ultimate goal if conditions allow. We left Longs Peak trailhead at 6-40 (03-29-2008), accompanied by continuous light snow. The trail was well-packed, and we were making good progress, coming to Goblins Forest (~10140 feet) at 7-25. At 7-56 we had a short break at the lightning hazard sing (~10594 feet) and moved above the treeline. The wind was getting stronger, with some pretty good gusts and blowing snow. Occasional postholing, scrambling and head wind slowed us down considerably, but as we got higher the snow was mostly blown off, which made our job much easier.
Blowing snow really made for a very fun hike. It definitely gave some extra appreciation of the place we were in:
At 9-36 we got to the Chasm Junction (~11480 feet) and immediately went further along the Chasm Lake trail to hide from the wind. Quickly we started sinking below knee in unconsolidated snow, and with some major effort reached a hiding place by a standing rock. Here we ate and "relaxed" a bit, although wind made it pretty challenging. Half of my face was frozen from the wind, so it felt I just got numbed up by a dentist. Wind was forcing us to keep moving, so after a brief rest and a couple photos we headed down.Longs and Meeker were completely obscured by clouds and snow:At 10-03 we headed back. Soon the wind started to calm down, and by the time we reached the treeline the weather was very good again. At 12-00 we came back to the trailhead after a great day out. It was a good way to start the season - nothing strenuous, but very fun. Thanks to the weather we got some pretty stern views.

Always look at the bright side of life!

It's been long, too long in fact. I was busy, and moreover, I sort of lost the interest in keeping a blog. But I missed it, to be honest. It's fun. So I decided to start again :-).

Here is something provocative:



The lyrics:

Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best
And...

...always look on the bright side of life
{whistle}
Always look on the light side of life
{whistle}

If life seems jolly rotten
There's something you've forgotten
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing
When you're feeling in the dumps
Don't be silly chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle - that's the thing

And... always look on the bright side of life
{whistle}
Come on
Always look on the bright side of life
{whistle}

For life is quite absurd
And death's the final word
You must always face the curtain with a bow
Forget about your sin - give the audience a grin
Enjoy it - it's your last chance anyhow

So always look on the bright side of death
Just before you draw your terminal breath
Life's a piece of shit
When you look at it
Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true
You'll see it's all a show
Keep 'em laughing as you go
Just remember that the last laugh is on you

And always look on the bright side of life
{whistle}
Always look on the right side of life
{whistle}

Come on guys, cheer up

Always look on the bright side of life...

Always look on the bright side of life...

Worse things happen at sea, you know

Always look on the bright side of life...

I mean - what have you got to lose?
You know, you come from nothing
- you're going back to nothing
What have you lost? Nothing!

Always look on the bright side of life