Cross-country Ski - Lost Lake

We'll meet at the North Bend Safeway shopping plaza parking lot at 8:00 a.m. by the tall sign that says "Safeway - O'Reilly Auto Parts".  Participants can carpool from there to the Crystal Springs Sno-Park.   Pass with Special Groomed sticker required.   Tire chains must be carried in Snoqualmie Pass during snow season.

For info on good carpooling  practices and how to contact other participants, please see this Mountaineers article on "Carpooling and Mountaineers Activities/Courses": https://www.mountaineers.org/blog/how-to-opt-in-for-carpooling

There are no badge prerequisites for this trip, but there are requirements. Some Nordic classic stride skiing skills and adequate equipment are needed.   The rating for this trip is towards the high end of  G-XC 2: Advanced Beginner Groomed.   The distance, 9 miles, demands some endurance, and the ability to do a good diagonal stride and maintain a group pace.  Overall elevation gain is about 800 feet.  About 500 feet is gained in the last mile and a quarter.  You will need good patterns on the base of your skis (or good waxing skills and the right waxes, if you are really old school) to go up.  On the descent, most of this stretch is steep enough to keep gliding without double-poling, and in some places, you will want a strong snow-plow or linked turns to keep speed under control.  There are a couple of curves in the road, so ability to make basic turns is needed.   If you have reasonable proficiency in the skills taught in The Mountaineers' Basic Cross-Country Ski Course, you should do fine. 

This is the last day of scheduled grooming on the Long Lake Road this winter.  We will leave the Crystal Springs Sno-Park, and soon be on a flat, straight trail on the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, a former railroad right of way, which has groomed trail and set tracks.  Eventually, we will turn off onto Forest Service Road 5480, and start climbing, very gradually at first, and then a bit more grade.  This road is groomed for snowmobiles, and will not have set track.  Most of the route is out in the open, so good sunglasses or glacier glasses are a must, as well as sunscreen and a good wind layer.    We'll have lunch at the boat ramp on Lost Lake, and head back down.

We will try to maintain a pace that everyone can keep, with stops at each intersection, as needed for group cohesion, and at least every hour for hydration and snacks and other needs.   Skate skis will not be suitable for the group pace.  We should be back at the Sno-Park about 3:00 p.m. and North Bend by 3:45, subject to weather and other variables.

Please feel free to email the leader at adktripper@earthlink.net or call at 315-884-3673 with any questions, especially about gear, clothing, and whether this is the right trip for you at your present level of skill and ability.