New Semester New Spot
Being a ski bum every winter, this semester I decided to move my phenology spot to a backcountry skiing location near Bolton Valley ski area. For the past few weekends I’ve been skinning up to the spot and enjoying its beauty before ripping powder back down to the parking lot of the ski area.
To get to this area requires a little bit of backcountry effort. The climb begins at Bolton Valley’s nordic center which is right at the parking lot to the main lodge at Bolton. The route takes you up one of the adjacent mountains in the ridge that contains the main ski area as shown in the map below.
While up on the mountain I tried to keep an eye out for any signs of wildlife but it was hard to notice anything because we were constantly moving. The only time I noticed signs of wildlife was at the top of our climb as we were transitioning to head down the mountain by taking our skins off and putting on helmets. I noticed very small and light tracks in the snow which after some research have identified as mouse tracks. I don’t have the ability to distinguish species, however.
