Executive Summary: This trip was nearly cancelled due to lack of cover, but we skied all four days, had fun, shed very little blood, kept our skis on most of the time and didn't lose anyone.

01/26/2018 Sec 28 Craftsbury Outdoor Center to Lowell Town Hall Our first day started, as they often do, with a car shuttle (thanks Jan!). After a round of introductions and some pointers on keeping things safe and fun ("don't faceplant into this crust"), sixteen of us headed out from Craftsbury Outdoor Center on thin 'firm' cover with a dusting on top. We managed to get off the trail immediately but quickly recovered, only to lose it and regain it again. We skied across Little Hosmer Pond and encountered more minor navigational issues getting onto Wylie Hill Road. Unfortunately a pickup truck had driven up and down this closed section of road while the snow was wet, so there were major frozen ruts on this steep descent. We crossed Rt 14 and headed across the corn fields, around the stubble showing through the 2" of cover. We noticed that there don't seem to be any alpacas at the farm any more, but no one asked for their money back. Another trail-finding issue split us up a bit just before the sawmill. Then began the long but pretty climb on the Bailey Hazen Road along the Rogers Branch stream, to our sugar house lunch spot. Then more long and pretty climbing with some open wet spots, road walks, nice views and fields. On the lower fields the wind had blown off much of the dusting, making for some very noisy skiing. The fields near the top had a solid base with enough new snow on top for a quick detour for some tele-turns, the only really good turns of the four day trip. We crossed over Lowell Pass and left the (barely used) snowmobile trail for some 'fun' downhill woods skiing. About half the folks took the black diamond "Dave's Drop" option, the rest took the blue bypass. Survival skiing was the appropriate technique for this section. In the lower fields we tried some turns but the unreliable crust made it tricky. We met Jan who was clearing and rolling his trails and stopped at this house for hot drinks and snacks. At this point the sun was getting low, the energy was getting low and the miles were getting long. We had done about ten miles and had nearly three to go, so some folks opted to stop at this point. Eight of us crunched along through the woods, took the bypass around black diamond "Dean's Drop". The snow was crusty enough here that when Mr. Faceplant did his (unintentional but inevitable) thing, he came up rather bloody. After picking our way through a new logging operation that obliterated a short section of trail we ended at the Lowell Town Hall, just at dusk. Then most of us congregated at one of our lodgings for a nice evening of good food and friends.

Dull but crucial, morning meetings help keep the group together.

Crossing Little Hosmer Pond.

Herding the 'Cats'.

Mother, father and daughter having lunch at the sugarhouse.

01/27/2018 Sec 29 Lowell Town Hall to Hazen's Notch Today was a day of choices for our sixteen skiers. One couple chose to ski southbound from the east side of Hazen's Notch to the Town Hall (they are NB end-to-enders, now working their way southbound). The rest of us could choose six, nine or twelve mile tours depending on where we wanted to turn around. Most skiers headed north (without a car shuttle!) while a few skiers and Jan shuttled cars to the east side of Hazen's Notch. The drivers then got a ride back with Jan and chased the early skiers northward. We caught them fairly soon, struggling up a steep canyon with drifts and ice. We crossed some fields with more grass than snow and climbed slowly through beautiful woods. Here we met the SB couple. An icy road walk (I think more folks slipped in parking lots and roads than on the trail this tour) and snow bank ski got us back to the spotted cars and lunch. Then we continued on into Hazen's Notch on a snowmobile trail. Here some folks celebrated and turned around, for a total of nine miles under their belts. The rest of the group skied over the notch to the west end, and then climbed (or hiked (bad wax)) up and descended back (skating and tucking) to our cars, adding three skiing miles and saving a lot of shuttle miles. This was a very fast section, especially going down the west side. A gathering and dinner at Jan's followed.

Thank goodness for bridges, and those who build (and pay for!) them.
Karen (far right) took this picture, with Marie's magic she was included in her own photo.
Be sure to take time to enjoy the beauty of the Vermont winter woods.

A snowplow is a good thing to have.

Climbing up from the Missisquoi River.

Making the best of poor conditions.

Don't forget your lunch!

Climbing up to Hazen's Notch.

Easy skiing down from Hazen's Notch.

Refreshment.

Now for the climb back up and over Hazen's Notch.

Father, daughter, mother on the Catamount Trail.

01/28/2018 Sec 30 Hazen's Notch to Jay Pass Seventeen of us met at Jay Pass and with Jan's help we were able to start this tour without leaving any cars to pick up at the end of the day. The southbound couple left a bailout car for us about one mile south of Jay Pass. The rest of us drove to the west end of Hazen's Notch and left our two cars for the SB couple to bring back for us. After some confusion about the whereabouts of one skier's skis and poles we headed north on crust and dust. The thinly frozen stream crossings required courage and speed ("faster, faster!") to shoot across. The trail then followed washed out, barely covered logging road gulches which required all our climbing and route selection skills, including the use of skins in many cases. Luckily in the winter there is no harm in leaving the trail to make your own path around tricky sections, in some places there were half a dozen separate tracks. We still managed to look around and notice the beech trees with bear claw marks and 'bear nests' up high where they pull in the branches to get the nuts. Plenty of animal tracks of all sorts, turkey, raccoon, grouse, feline, canine, fisher(?), porcupine, moose, mouse, squirrel. We met the southbound couple at the height of land, and they told us the downhill skiing, even with skins for speed control, had been challenging. Due to the trail conditions (crust, open water, thin cover) the group got spread out and had to regroup several times. Luckily it was a 'warm' day, with some actual corn snow spring skiing for those who skied back down to check on the "caboose". The descent to the log landing wasn't much faster for the group, but a few did have fun playing in the woods while waiting. Here three skiers opted to go to the bailout car, and the rest of us started up the final ascent to Jay Pass. Although usually skied in the other direction to take advantage of the descent, under these conditions it was much better to be climbing than descending. Most of us met at Jan's again for another dinner.

Sometimes folks get restless waiting for the "caboose" to catch up.

It was warm enough that you didn't _have_ to avoid the wet spots...

but side stepping over them is often the best approach.

"Everyone look like you are having fun!"

Goodbyes at the bailout car.

01/29/2018 Sec 31 Jay Pass to Jay Village (We skipped the northern half, to the border, since no one wanted to ski on one inch of crushed ice cubes and frosty grass.) Wisdom and poor conditions whittled our group down to eleven today. When we convened at the Jay Store, the big decision was, climb uphill or ski downhill for six miles in crunchy snow. Of course there are ups and downs in either direction, but northbound skiers lose about 1500 feet of elevation. Four skiers opted for downhill and drove to Jay Pass. After spotting two cars at Lucier Road for bailouts, the uphill skiers returned to the store, strapped on their skins and started climbing. The "downhill" skiers started with a traversing ascent from Jay Pass which was packed hard and icy. Up higher, we could see where other skiers had had fun in the glades on better days, before the rain. Then the downhill skiers started their descent, using nearly everything in their survival skiing bag of tricks, except skins or hiking. The long snowplows gave new meaning to the Vermont-inspired meme "Feel the Bern". Even the Telemarkarian, who believes that snowplowing and sideslipping are sinful succumbed to the dark side. We negotiated numerous open streams and wet spots, and met the uphill group about at the mid-point, which gives you an idea of how slow the descent was. Near the bottom I was almost looking forward to finishing, and then found myself grinning as we entered a beautiful birch glade. We made a few final tele-turns down to the Jay Village Store, got hot drinks and drove back up to Jay Pass, picking up one bailout car along the way, just as the uphill skiers were finishing. After a round of good-byes, three of us then hiked most of the way up Jay Peak on the Long Trail, before the long drive home.

The downhill skiers are still smiling.