TGIF

Somehow this past week flew by and by the time Friday rolled around it was time to think play!  I decided to follow last week's Friday protocol and head up to Tumalo for a quick backcountry lap.  The wifer joined in the fun and we were in the Dutchman Sno Park parking lot by 3:30 and were skinning up the side of the mountain by 3:45.

The views on the way up were mixed  but the snow looked really promising.  There was a cloud that enveloped the peak of Tumalo as well as enough cloud cover north so you could not see Broken Top and Sisters.  There were still great views of Bachelor and the west though.  We got up to the top and were treated to views of...yup, clouds.....the cloud cover looked like it was moving relatively quickly and if we had the time we might have hung around for a little bit to see how quickly it would have cleared up.  I was in bare bones minimum clothing and forgot to pack and extra layer and the wind was making things chilly enough to want to keep moving.  In the mad dash to head out of the house after work, I forgot to pack a shell and was in a base long underwear layer with a shirt on top of it.

Quickly enough we were in ski/snowboard mode and enjoying the FINE powder on Tumalo.  What a great surprise snow wise.  The mountain was in great shape and the quiet peacefulness of floating on top of the snow was a perfect way to wrap what was an incredibly hectic week on the work front.  Soon enough (all too soon) we were back at the parking lot but I could sense that my tension had been relieved somewhat from the whacked out work week.  The soul had just been fed a little and it was time to relax and enjoy the promising weather for the weekend....