But you know, it's hard to have a bad day when you're out with 3 GSPs. And no, we didn't go through the tunnel, although they gladly would have.

Have I mentioned we have a LOT of snow this year? Good to play in now, good for our water supply this summer.... me doing a lame attempt at a "Vanna White" presentation of CRAPLOADS OF SNOW.

Funny you would ask about avelanche danger..... The first snow that fell in late November/December was in very dry and cold conditions (for around here anyway) and nothing was sticking to the ground very well. Then we had the infamous December storm with a major dump followed by torrential rain. Then it froze of course. The end result is a nasty sheer zone waaaaay down deep in our snow pack.

Ave danger as far as I know is insane, and my totally amatuer guess is that it's likely to remain that way through the end of the season. I saw a large wad of snow dislodged from a cut bank on the RR grade... that's the first time I've seen something that big sheer from a hillside only about 30 feet up.

I'm a total chicken and take ZERO chances on avelanches. All the trails we do are in lower elevation areas with fairly heavy trees, or exposed sagebrush ridges that tend to scour in the wind if anything. There is one route out of Blewett pass that I've always been too wimpy to attempt and this year in particular I wouldn't do on a bet... the road is blasted into a steep basalt cliff/scree field, and I've seen shallow slab avelanches over the trail before. The snomobiles keep going over that trail- even when it's a debris field- but unlike the snowmos, with the dogs I can't outrun the monster if/when it lets loose. I'll pass, thanks.