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Show I i i J Page 6 x By Jim Mfller We're still working on an area?o7surmgn Schco1 Instructor and snowshoeing. Officially we have proposed the Little South Fork of the Provo River Drainages (12,000 acres) to serve the purpose but we are also eyeing a few more areas. The Little Lit-tle South Fork makes for a logical choice as it is, for the most part, a roadless drainage. The terrain is varied, but mostly easy rolling country and the avalanche problems are minimal. As of yet, the snowmobilers have not abused it, so this makes it a natural area for protection by the Forest Service email enmuflalra hnlHo a mvctdrv that rpnilirfe'' anion oiiuTTwanv wv " . f years of thought but what do these people ask?' What interests them enough to interrupt, the eternal silence? "Hey Jim are we half-way" there? "Unbelievable! A quick answer,' "yes, we are half-way" seems to lift an incredible burden; off their shoulders so that they may reutrn to the5 normal thought patterns of daily life. ' ... Enjoy the natural beauty of our mountains, not , in a degrading physical term called distance) l i i i l 1.1 : . . .... .. iraveieu, dui ramer in a spiritual sujuuiu uuu m We skied it two weeks ago and had a great v timeless wonderland. To view our wilderness in; time and a fairly good turn-out. A pretty lady, some beginners and the agless wonder 70-year-old Ed Phelps all came out to enjoy the Uinta touring. It was a bright sunny day special green wax and fresh powder. I think this is a January - February only treat - shirts-off sunburn, sunny skies yet cold, cold powder snow. Because the sun's position is so low in the sky during these months, most of the radiation is single physical terms can only bring disap pointment to the wanderer. To marvel at each natural landscape will always bring spiritual joy and pleasure, , if one will look only upon our. wilderness as a student looks upon his spiritual master timeless. , ?f As we progressed further up the canyon, ( the pleasing sensation .rime upon us that we would not reach the end of it today. The back bowls, un- reflected back up (warming the ski tourist) so touched, lay before us, beyond our reach. The the snow remains in the origianl state. This contrasts with March-April when the sun is up high. The sun's rays are absorbed by the snow, thus changing it from dry, cold to the red , klister slop that we know so well. .. ; 1 ; ,". y Anyway, we got off to a fast start and everyone was juiced to do some exploring. We followed the access road around some private property then followed a fence line (always avoiding private land) until we were in the canyon proper. Subtle Uinta Mountain beauty was present everywhere. The grand ole Douglas Fir and Spruce trees stood dark and brooding on the North Sides standing as segregated as any Southern Mississippi Rural town against the. lily white Aspens on the Southern Slopes. "AithlGitfrfd Mgthe Northern Slopes we dropped ,down to the singing stream to play among the River willows. I like stream oottoms and the bright red willows. Sometimes the stream will burst forth with such energy and noise that it surprises me. Other time it is so quiet that one forgets it is there. Lunchtime brought out the usual questions of "how far have we gone?" and the great classic "Are we there yet?" These are standard jokes among Frank and myself, this phobia about distance traveled. People can travel throughout the infinite wonders and mysteries of pod's Creation, where each tree, blade of grass, even a Buck and Bear Hollow Headwalls would hot be skied by us that day. An overnighter to enjoy those bowls for sure. ' v. People were dragging a little by this time and the sun was not so intense. We had reached a 'good vantage point to behold the various draws that emptied into the Little South Fdrk, plus to look down the canyon to where we had started. A good place to turn back. u .' Seems like no matter how tired you are from the uphill climb, just the .thought of the downhill run sends rushes of energy through everyone. Ed showed us some telemarks that would rival even Kassow.but for the most part we were double-poling double-poling all the way down so much fun to cruise through the Uinta meadows on a fast downhill Just as if fritting dark, we aft mail n back ' 200 to Norton and the other cars. The last hill was r fairly rotten snow, but the track skiing; ployed excellent. Couldn't really ask for a better day, and we all agreed that the canyon ..was -.worn .saving.,, ; . s izjv.z I will take this opportunity to encourage Park City skiers and visitors to ski this areaf The Uinta's differ very much from the Wasatch Range. I think the local skiers will appreciate the change and the newcomers will enjoy the unique beauty of the Uintas. ALL PHOTOS BY PAT McDOWELL -- - , 5 . f"" 1 ' ) t I' . V - , ' 1 " V " - - ' . , f - wif' V . ' ' Ai 4;v, '-' y ' ' ;V. .. ' ' - 1-' y" '. 4 b V - , ... ' i.. HUT SKIING THE HIGH UINTAS byJirh Miller Fresh crisp snow Bright mountain skys Uinta peaks, and rolling meadows Deep snow, so cold, so clean PURE r Cold outside - warm inside Good stew hot ted -- natural foods Communal dinner "Communal thoughts ?' ' " Warm in our sleeping bags - socks drying by the heater No radio, clocks or telephone Only what thoughts we ourselves generate Three days of skiing, companionship Sharing, exercising, resting Quiet skiing, quiet talking Lunch in the snow ' Water ouzels in the streams Listening to what the wilderness is singing WILDERNESS HUT SKIING Park West Touring School Box 417 r Park City, Utah Wednesday, January 28, 1976 ?, :':&"..... . (f . , , f f s ' s , - ' . . . rA .... . . ?fl& k - 1 dffi"' :oi p h - i s ...... ' , p,;; v , : ' , . v'- t- ' A i ' 'v,,, Ai . y 1 , v 1 r r-t J ,5 fZi;'t; 4A : I'M,' 1 wm 11 wKN m ,73. |