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Show THE Page 10 OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Volume XII Issue I May 1, 2005 HAUTE Along the Way... Did You Know? e March 28 Meadowlarks are common inhabitants of fields and meadows. The different species are separated by their song. The Western has a longer musical warble. The Meadowlark is the harbinger of spring in the Intermountain West. Only males sing. I I Meadowlarks walk rather than hop when on the ground. They eat mostly insects, larvae, spiders and some snails. They will also eat grain, grass seeds and weed seeds. I I ff I The female builds her nest on the ground. e Drawing by Teryn Stocker Meadowlarks The Eastern Meadowlark species is Sturnella magna and the Western species is Sturnella neglecta. Wings: 1, Tail: Feet: Legs: Bill: Face: 13.5-17 inches, Buffy brown short wide tail with white outer feathers pink with 3 toes forward and 1 woe ae fleshy pi backward. . long wil pointed Adults have scarlet red skin on crown Chest: _ yellow breast with a broad black "V" on chest. Size: — 9-11 inches long ee ee ee ee Both parents feed the new chicks. Meadowlarks will raise two broods a year. The Eastern Meadowlark is often the victim of Cowbird parasitism. The Western is less vulnerable to cowbirds. Meadowlarks form large gregarious flocks during fall and winter. They forage together in cultivated fields, pastures and grasslands. Text by: Bill Fenimore of the Wild Bird Center in Layton. cont. from page 1 — sting and of the Matterhorn. Retire after an excellent meal with niece of food. A Guide to Nature along Ogden Valley Pathways. Jf I I I I I I I I I I I I II I I I I I I I I I I al Arise at 5:00 am. The day dawns clear with the early morning twilight providing awesome views of the Matterhorn ladenw freshly fallen snow from the previous days? storm. We eat the breakfast prepared by the caretaker. Pack our gear and dawn our skis. Views of the Matterhorn are becoming increasingly spectacular with the rising sun. We start the day’s tour with a tricky ski decent through some partially covered boulder fields. The decent is followed by several hours of a long uphill climb requiring climbing skins and ski crampons. All during the uphill climb we are afforded spectacular views of the Matterhorn, the valley of Zermat, and numerous other surrounding peaks and valleys. Enroute we hear a loud thundering noise and witness a large avalanche on a neighboring peak traveling thousands of feet down into its run out zone. Fortunately, we are in a safe position to observe. In one place during the ascent we are required to rope up for protection from following into a crevasse as we travel across one of several glaciers. We reach the top of the pass that marks the finish of our uphill ascent for the day. We take a short break to rest and remove our ” in preparation for a long ski decent down toward the small village of Arolla, Switzerland. The decent down into Arolla is highlighted with over 6000 feet of vertical drop and hundreds of turns in fresh powder, blue sky, and sunshine. Our legs feel like noodles at the bottom. Our fatigue is softened by the psychological endorphins induced by the experience we have just had. Spent the night in the quaint “Glacier Hotel” in Arolla. We are stunned by the beauty of the area and the day’s adventure. March 29 Arise 6:30 a.m., prepare our gear and have the somewhat traditional breakfast of bread, cheese, cold cut meat, yogurt, cold cereal, and a hot beverage. We gather our REAL gear up and walk up the street toward the Arolla ski area for an exciting and sometimes scary ride on the Polma lift to begin the day’ 's tour. The Polma pulls us up some steep, iey terrain that makes most of us wish we were in a good old chair lift. At the top we are amused by an older Swiss gentleman carrying a small barking dog (like Toto from the Wizard of Oz) in the pack on his back. We again put our ski skins on for the first of three mountain passes we will ascend today. The terrain seems a little gentler as we climb towards our first pass. Our group makes the first pass in good time. We are greeted at the top by Res, our Swiss guide who has set up a roped belay to descend a ladder which spans a 100 foot cliff to a steep snow slope below. The decent of the cliff on the ladder is made a little more interesting because mid way down, the top section of the ladder ends, and we must grasp the second ladder to our left and step across horizontally in mid air to finish the decent. Some in our party take the belay our guide offers, others do not. Once down we cautiously descend the steep slope to flatter ground where we put on our skis for our climb toward the second pass. The ascent is long through a glacially carved valley. The last portion of the ascent to the pass is steep. The scenery is impressive with two large glaciers spilling down from the surrounding peaks. We reach the top of the second pass. In front of us lies a view of a long flat glacier we must cross which appears to be at least 1.5 miles across—it looks like Antarctica. We take a short break and cross this portion in good time using classic cross country technique. Weather has changed with some clouds and light snow falling. Once across, we take a short break, remove ski skins, and prepare for a ski decent down a steep, icy face with rocks. A slip here could be serious. We pass through without incident, skiing down and traversing a large alpine basin. We gain the third and final pass for the day with a short upward climb. From the top of the third pass we make a long ski descent, traversing alpine basins on HAUTE cont. on page 11 ESTATE BUYING? Contact Ogden Valley Specialist Ken Turner UNDER CONTRACT “oe Sie UNDER CONTRACT “SOLD SOLD For more area information and property listings log on to: www.snowbasinareaspecialist.com |
