Special weather report from NOAA and update
I found this early this morning on the NOAA weather site (link to right)
406 AM PDT WED SEP 7 2005 /506 AM MDT WED SEP 7 2005/
...A CHANGE IN THE WEATHER EXPECTED OVER THE WEEKEND..
A LARGE AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
ON FRIDAY. AS THIS SYSTEM MOVES INTO NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO AND
WESTERN MONTANA ON SATURDAY...IT WILL BRING COOLER TEMPERATURES
AND WIDESPREAD RAIN...THAT SHOULD CONTINUE INTO MONDAY.
IN ADDITION...AS THE COLDER AIR MOVES INTO THE REGION...SNOW
LEVELS WILL DROP TO BETWEEN 5000 AND 6000 FEET BY SATURDAY NIGHT.
SOME SNOW ACCUMULATION IS LIKELY OVER THE HIGHER MOUNTAINS AND
PASSES...BUT IT IS TOO EARLY TO DETERMINE AMOUNTS AT THIS TIME.
ANYONE THAT HAS OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES PLANNED FOR THIS
WEEKEND...ESPECIALLY IN THE MOUNTAINS...SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR
RAPIDLY CHANGING CONDITIONS WITH POSSIBLE WINTER LIKE WEATHER.
Hmmm, and here I was thinking, "Man, I'd better start thinking about this weekend if I want to be ready for it." I didn't think I'd see THAT this morning. Now it becomes a whole new realm of planning....cold weather gear. The pass I cross is at 6941 feet and where I camped last weekend is at 7400 feet. SNOW? The good news is that I already decided to camp at the truck seeing how I was right in the middle of where the elk and deer cross the ridge. Shoot, that way I won't have to take two packs in and I have the potential to make myself very comfortable with all the things I could bring. The unfortunate part would be the 2 mile hike in the dark. Perhaps finding these critters won't be so hard this weekend...I'm guessing that we should be getting into the rut here pretty darn soon.
I was also thinking about how grossly overpacked I was last time. I mean, it was all good stuff for the "unknown" that could have happened. But one thing I noticed was how much LESS food I needed compared to what I took. Seriously, I had enough food to feed a couple people for a couple days...with me...on the hill. Plus much more in the truck. I definitely like the idea of MREs over dehydrated food though. They're easy, they're quick, and their loaded with calories. I really didn't like the idea of heating water then waiting another 15 minutes before I could eat. I had the time, I just didn't have the patience. Plus I think dehydrated meals make you more dehydrated...and they take a lot of your water just to cook!
I'm going to make my own energy bars here sometime. I had trail mix with milk chocolate pieces that melted in the heat of the day...this formed a kind of candy bar. So then I got to thinking. My Dad has this recipe he made for what he calls "Ranger cookies." These things are nuts...they have everything in them, and one is pretty much a meal. But I want to modify it so there is more chocolate and stuff. The part that I like is the oatmeal...talk about a breakfast! We'll see how that goes.
Other than that, I can't really think of anything to do differently that I haven't already thought of. The tactics and precautions are all the same, and hopefully their behavior will be more in tune with what I was planning. I can tell this trip up there combined with the camping will probably take it's toll on me. If I plan on doing that for the next two weekends I will probably be really tired of the whole thing. Makes me wonder...
But I'm intrigued by the bulls I saw and the lack of people. I'm intrigued by the elks' proximity to a drivable road. I just wish it was a "prettier" area to be in.
406 AM PDT WED SEP 7 2005 /506 AM MDT WED SEP 7 2005/
...A CHANGE IN THE WEATHER EXPECTED OVER THE WEEKEND..
A LARGE AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
ON FRIDAY. AS THIS SYSTEM MOVES INTO NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO AND
WESTERN MONTANA ON SATURDAY...IT WILL BRING COOLER TEMPERATURES
AND WIDESPREAD RAIN...THAT SHOULD CONTINUE INTO MONDAY.
IN ADDITION...AS THE COLDER AIR MOVES INTO THE REGION...SNOW
LEVELS WILL DROP TO BETWEEN 5000 AND 6000 FEET BY SATURDAY NIGHT.
SOME SNOW ACCUMULATION IS LIKELY OVER THE HIGHER MOUNTAINS AND
PASSES...BUT IT IS TOO EARLY TO DETERMINE AMOUNTS AT THIS TIME.
ANYONE THAT HAS OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES PLANNED FOR THIS
WEEKEND...ESPECIALLY IN THE MOUNTAINS...SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR
RAPIDLY CHANGING CONDITIONS WITH POSSIBLE WINTER LIKE WEATHER.
Hmmm, and here I was thinking, "Man, I'd better start thinking about this weekend if I want to be ready for it." I didn't think I'd see THAT this morning. Now it becomes a whole new realm of planning....cold weather gear. The pass I cross is at 6941 feet and where I camped last weekend is at 7400 feet. SNOW? The good news is that I already decided to camp at the truck seeing how I was right in the middle of where the elk and deer cross the ridge. Shoot, that way I won't have to take two packs in and I have the potential to make myself very comfortable with all the things I could bring. The unfortunate part would be the 2 mile hike in the dark. Perhaps finding these critters won't be so hard this weekend...I'm guessing that we should be getting into the rut here pretty darn soon.
I was also thinking about how grossly overpacked I was last time. I mean, it was all good stuff for the "unknown" that could have happened. But one thing I noticed was how much LESS food I needed compared to what I took. Seriously, I had enough food to feed a couple people for a couple days...with me...on the hill. Plus much more in the truck. I definitely like the idea of MREs over dehydrated food though. They're easy, they're quick, and their loaded with calories. I really didn't like the idea of heating water then waiting another 15 minutes before I could eat. I had the time, I just didn't have the patience. Plus I think dehydrated meals make you more dehydrated...and they take a lot of your water just to cook!
I'm going to make my own energy bars here sometime. I had trail mix with milk chocolate pieces that melted in the heat of the day...this formed a kind of candy bar. So then I got to thinking. My Dad has this recipe he made for what he calls "Ranger cookies." These things are nuts...they have everything in them, and one is pretty much a meal. But I want to modify it so there is more chocolate and stuff. The part that I like is the oatmeal...talk about a breakfast! We'll see how that goes.
Other than that, I can't really think of anything to do differently that I haven't already thought of. The tactics and precautions are all the same, and hopefully their behavior will be more in tune with what I was planning. I can tell this trip up there combined with the camping will probably take it's toll on me. If I plan on doing that for the next two weekends I will probably be really tired of the whole thing. Makes me wonder...
But I'm intrigued by the bulls I saw and the lack of people. I'm intrigued by the elks' proximity to a drivable road. I just wish it was a "prettier" area to be in.
posted by geotracker12 at 5:37 AM
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