This past Wednesday, the switch in my brain flipped from
it’s “Fishing ” setting to “Skiing” in a very abrupt fashion. Most years, it takes longer to change between
the two, and the transition is counted in days or even weeks. But this year, it came much quicker.
I spent the whole week in Avon,
training to be a bus driver at Beaver Creek. For one work day each week during
the ski season, my wife and I will both get a ski pass. Wednesday was no doubt
this winter’s first reality slap. Above 7,200 feet or so, it was full-on
blowing snow and slippery roads. Being
of solid French-Canadian stock, I was loving it though. Winter means hockey and skiing to me, so
bring it on!
The previous few
days before had been sunny and mild, and I was tempted to put the top down on
my old convertible Saab. The Colorado River in my
backyard was astoundingly
low and clear, and I was wondering why no one else wanted to
float it right now. I’ve gone out each
night and made some casts with my little seven foot three weight, knowing that
the days I can do so are numbered. Soon enough, there will be an ice skating
surface out there with goalie nets at either end, but for the moment it’s a
calm, clear river. A couple of weeks earlier, I had written the people on my
email list letting them all know that the river had finally done it’s late fall
level drop, and that it was a nice time to be here. The river can also this
transparent in the spring right after iceout, but the water level is much
colder then, and the fish less active.
In November, the temperature is dropping but still well above
freezing. The bigger, smarter fish have
been through this change before, and they know to put some more calories into
their bellies before winter. So the
fishing can still be pretty good, but the days are just a bit shorter. It’s really cold in the morning, and it takes
some time for the bugs and fish to get moving.
Then, in the afternoon the sunset comes early, technically at five-thirty
pm but really much sooner than that in the heart of the canyon. Trying to do all ten miles can mean being
cold at both ends of the day, but by doing a shorter trip time can be managed
to maximize the sunshine. And at 6,200
feet, the days here are much sunnier and milder here than they are thirty miles
away in Beaver Creek or Vail.
Winter tends to
sneak up on us down here along the “Lower Upper” Colorado River.
Only last Sunday, I was mowing my lawn and looking up at the Flat
Top Mountains,
covered in pristine white snow from a recent storm. It occurred to me that there were people not
so far upvalley at that moment wielding snow shovels and blowers, while I was
pushing an icon of summertime through my backyard.
The storm that blew
in Tuesday night had been predicted, so I car camped in my 4Runner the night
before to avoid a snowy commute the next morning. On Wednesday morning I awoke inside of what
looked like an igloo. I turned on the
4Runner’s rear heater, got things toasty, and then crawled out of my sleeping
bag to peer outside. As soon as I
cracked the door open, I was greeted by a blast of wind and a face full of huge
cold snowflakes. I licked a pile off my upper lip and smiled. This was definitely
winter!
For most of that day
of training, we drove around a 4WD Ford Vanterra which was excellent in the
snow. Compared to the two-wheel drive
propane trucks and oversized buses I’ve spent years driving, a Vanterra feels
as nimble as a snowmobile. We went to some of the upper neighborhoods above
Beaver Creek where the weather was the worst, cruising in total comfort. The small roads curved in, out, under, and
over some of the runs I’d be carving down in only a couple more weeks. It got
me very excited about skiing again!
And then it
happened, an almost audible “thunk!” in my brain as my switch went from
“Fishing” to “Skiing”. I looked around and
realized that I would much rather ski than fish at that precise moment, and
that “moment” would probably last until March or April.
Thankfully, living in Colorado
means not having to choose between one or the other. In springtime, the river starts fishing after
iceout in March, but Vail and the Beav are open until April, and A-Basin stays
open until June. That’s quite a lot of
time that you can do both. In the fall,
ski areas open in late November but the river can be fished from a boat until
the ice shelves start to grow, which is usually mid-December. It’s a much smaller overlap.
By Thursday morning,
there were many dozens of tracks covering the lower face of Beaver
Creek Mountain. Other eager skiers had also contracted The
Bug the day before, and had hiked up to get that first feel of sliding snow
underfoot. The lifts would not be running for another two weeks, unfortunately. Seeing those tracks made me want to add a
pair of my own, so that night I dug out all my ski gear and a small backpack so
I could climb the hill after work the next day.
Friday was to be my
last day of training, and since we had covered most of the things we needed to
know about, I figured there would be time for at least one run after work. But then we were finished by 10 am, and it occurred to me that Breckenridge
was opening that day. So instead of
walking up the hill once or twice, I did some low level flying in the Saab over
Vail Pass, and was skiing at Breck soon after.
This totally secured the “Fish/Ski” switch in my brain to its winter
setting.
Friday the thirteenth
was as perfect an opening day as one could have wished for. Cobalt blue cloudless skies, very little
wind, soft packed powder snow, and lots of smiling faces. So many happy souls,
all out enjoying the frozen water on top of a mountain. I couldn’t think of a
better place to be.
For once I didn’t
stay until the last lift, as I normally do.
I left myself enough time before dark to take the River Road home,
instead of the interstate. The mileage
is about the same either way, and though the interstate is faster the River
Road is much prettier. It also gives me more time
to be with my lovely aquatic mistress. I
drove home with my head full of snow and skiing, and wondering when I could get
back up there for another fix. But then
the road dropped down to the river, and as I traveled along her curving banks
and peered into her clear waters, I could feel the switch begin to change
positions again...
Maybe I will do another float or two before winter finally makes
its way down to here…anyone else want to come with me?
Jack Bombardier
14503 Colorado River Road
Eagle County CO 81637
970-524-1440
jackbombardier.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment