MORA Nordic Patrol Report 4/4 - 4/5
Hugh Gallagher
Good weather throughout the weekend, with unseasonably warm (hot!) temperatures. Multiple D1 wet loose point releases were observed on southern aspects. Operations focused heavily on (PSAR) due to the busy holiday weekend. Great weekend on the mountain despite schmooey conditions and several logistical curveballs outlined below.
Saturday:
Saturday was a busy day with 150+ visitor contacts. The team (myself, Lexi, Danny, Keren, and Deb) traveled up the main trail, pausing at "Nordic Beach" on the top of Pan Point for a break before continuing to McClure Rock for lunch due to heavy skier presence on the snowfield. Throughout the day, we emphasized PSAR, providing frequent route guidance, snowshoe travel tips, and ad hoc kick-turn instruction. Visitor engagement was steady and positive throughout the day.
Sunday:
Sunday saw a noticeable drop in visitation (~50+ contacts), though the parking lot and area above the ramp remained very busy. The team (myself, Lexi, Ray, and Summer) traveled to Pan via Edith Basin. Ray showed up with a huge bag of Easter candy, so we set up a PSAR station and leaned in spreading caloric goodwill and earning plenty of smiles. No one refused.
Routes & Logistical Curveballs:
- Pan Face: Upper Pan Face is melting out rapidly, snow-covered Saturday morning and largely bare dirt by Sunday.
- Edith Basin: Park staff are actively steering visitors away. The bridge was approximately half exposed by Sunday (good). Snow bridges over the creek remain but are thin and deteriorating quickly (bad).
- Reflection Lake: Snow plows pushed snow into Reflection lake and displaced signage. Road crew notified us and requested recovery; winter techs offered to take the lead.
- Poles: Given thin snow coverage, warming conditions, and ongoing plow operations, I recommend coordinating with the park to begin pole removal as early as this coming weekend.
- Vehicles: Ed no longer has the Tahoe and is now driving the truck we had leaving us with no vehicles at the house. There may be access to the Raven truck, I recommend that Chris and Lindsey coordinate with Ed this week. I used my POV on Saturday (to Paradise) and Sunday (to Longmire).
- Gate Operations: A soft “no gate close” policy was initiated starting Sunday.
- House: Downstairs hallway fire alarm went off twice Saturday night for ~1 minute each time. Lexi and I replaced the batteries which appears to have resolved the issue.
