Winter is coming to the Idaho Mountains! Are you ready?

We could be skiing at Bogus Basin by Thanksgiving! Wendy on Paradise. 

Hi all, 

In case you haven't noticed, winter weather has been moving into the Idaho Mountains in the last week or so. On Tuesday, 7-9" of new snow fell at Bogus Basin, Tamarack Resort and Brundage Mountain Resort, and there's another major weather system coming in on Friday and Saturday. It's an atmospheric river system, so it's expected to be a hum-dinger! 

Atmospheric river weather system is forecast to bring 200% of normal precipitation.
Courtesy Idaho Daily Snow, OpenSnow.com

Weekend forecasts through Monday are calling for 14" at Bogus, 17" at Tamarack, and more than 24" at Brundage. Sun Valley is projected to get 10" by Monday. 

These snowfall amounts will land on top of an existing base above 6,000 feet. 

Suffice it to say that winter is coming, and right now, it's coming fast! 

And the question is, Are you ready? 

It may be possible to begin snow-shoeing, xc skiing or backcountry skiing by mid-November, certainly Thanksgiving, if the existing pace continues! 

Again, are you ready? 

If you're a downhill skier, have you secured a season pass yet? Get online and look into a lift ticket-package that works for you at Bogus Basin, Tamarack Resort, Brundage Mountain Resort or Sun Valley. Maybe even look into Soldier Mountain near Fairfield! 

What about your backcountry gear? 

Do you have a pair of snowshoes and ski poles ready to roll? How about xc ski gear? Backcountry set up? Skis, boots, bindings, skins, ski pack, avalanche gear, etc. Make sure everything is dialed and ready to go!  

I recently sprung for a new pair of backcountry boots ... can't wait to try them out! Very expensive, but I think they'll be really light and comfortable. 

BTW - The BBSEF Ski Swap is this weekend! Great place to find the best deals on ski gear and clothing. Plus the reps from Bogus, Tamarack, Brundage and Soldier will be there to answer questions and sell season passes. 

Ski Swap Sale hours are:

Friday, Nov. 4, 1 pm - 10 pm
Saturday, Nov. 5, 10 am – 7 pm
Sunday, Nov. 6, 10 am - 3 pm

Gear checkin starts today (Thursday) 2-8 p.m. 

I find excellent deals on clothing, skis and equipment almost every year. I highly recommend going to the swap ... plus it's always fun to run into your friends while looking over the goods. They serve beer, wine and food at the swap as well. 

Some of my favorite Boise retail shops that can outfit you with winter gear include McU Sports, Greenwoods Ski Haus, Idaho Mountain Touring, Boise REI, Eco Lounge, and the Outdoor Exchange.    

I'm hoping the string of winter storms continues, and we can go either backcountry or downhill skiing by Thanksgiving! 

New snow forecast through Monday, Nov. 7, 
European ensemble model. 

See you out on the snow! 
- SS 

Revisiting hiking trails that shine during shoulder season - Sage Creek and Orchard-5 Mile Loop

Wendy enjoys the quiet walk in Sage Creek canyon in the Owyhee Canyonlands.

Hi all, 

Revisiting trails that you love is kind of like getting re-acquainted with an old friend.

For Wendy's birthday, we zipped out to Sage Creek on Wednesday in the Owyhee Canyonlands for a delightful afternoon. Sage Creek canyon is close to Succor Creek State Park. It's accessed by a well-graveled all-weather road. So it's a cool, off-beat place to go in late fall, winter and spring.

I discovered Sage Creek canyon when researching my Owyhee Canyonlands guidebook some years ago. It's a moderate walk into a scenic, incised canyon that's chock full of geologic other-worldly shapes and features. It's always a treat to visit the canyon in my book.

Towering reddish-orange rhyolite spires, fins, caves and phallic-type rocks jut into the sky as you're walking up the draw. You'll see darker and more recent basalt rock features along the way as well.  

Wall of blonde volcanic ash in Sage Creek canyon.

Lots of cool geologic features to explore.

But several miles into the canyon from the trailhead, you come to a unique area that's full of volcanic rock and ash flows. The ash flows are blond-colored, green and chalk-colored, and they're very erosive ... you can carve off outside layers with your fingernail. There are some balance-rock features in the area as well.

To just sit there and observe all of those features is quite breath-taking. Be sure to bring a lunch and plenty of water and snacks. Allow for 3-4 hours to explore. 

It's about 4 miles or so to explore the full interior of Sage Creek while you're climbing along the creek-bottom on a general incline. It's an easy kid-friendly, out-and-back hike even if you go only a couple of miles into the canyon. If you have plenty of time, you can try to cover the whole canyon experience. The upper canyon ends when you approach the McIntyre Ridge Road.

Huck flushed a couple of chukars in the canyon.

How to get there: Take I-84 to the ID 55 exit in Nampa, heading west toward Marsing. After about 5 miles or so on ID 55, turn right on Chicken Dinner Road to Homedale Road. Go left on Homedale Road and follow that into the town of Homedale. Follow State Highway 19 west of Homedale, and then Highway 201 in Oregon, to a signed turnoff for Succor Creek State Park on the left. Head south on the dirt road. It's about 12 miles to the unsigned right-hand turnoff for the Sage Creek Trailhead. There is a lone scrubby cottonwood tree at the turnoff. If you have a 4WD rig, follow the primitive two-track road over several creek-crossings to the trailhead .9 miles from the Succor Creek Road. Or just park and hike that portion. Either way works. 

You may need muck boots or just your hiking boots for the hike. If it's wet and the creek is running with water, you'll want your muck boots. Yesterday, our hiking shoes worked well. 

Selfie with Steve and Wendy on the descent into Five Mile Creek canyon.

Another good shoulder-season hike in the Boise Foothills is to do the Rocky Canyon-Orchard Gulch-Five Mile Creek loop. This is a moderate to strenuous 5.5-mile hike in the NE Boise Foothills. The trails are pretty sandy, and once winter comes, they become covered with ice or snow, and still hikeable. 

Wendy and I hiked that loop last Sunday, and the leaves were still golden in many places ... but that will change in the coming weeks as fall transitions to winter. 

Getting there: Take Shaw Mountain Road by Fort Boise to Rocky Canyon Road, and follow Rocky Canyon Road to the end of the pavement. Go up the dirt road about about four miles to the trailhead for Five Mile Creek. Park.  

Hike uphill on Rocky Canyon Road for a long mile to the trailhead for Trail #7 in Orchard Gulch. Follow that trail about 2.5 miles to the junction with the connector trail over to Five Mile Creek. All of the climbing is done now. Hike down to Five Mile Creek Trail, go left and return to the trailhead and your vehicle. Hiking time is 2.5-3 hours.

------------------------------------------------

BBSEF Ski Swap is this weekend, Nov. 5-7! The giant ski equipment and clothing sale is being run for the 70th year!!! Opens at 1 p.m. on Friday at the Expo Building Fairgrounds. Entry fee is $5. 

The Land Trust of the Treasure Valley is looking for volunteers to plant sagebrush and other plants in the Harrison Hollow area on Friday at 10 a.m. Sign up here. 

- SS

Find a killer deal at BBSEF Ski Swap Friday! Vote Yes! for Boise Open Space Tuesday

Courtesy TotallyBoise.com

Hi all,

It's time to gear up for winter! Multiple storm tracks are heading our way according to local reports. I heard Scott Dorval, meteorologist for KIVI-TV, predict that we could receive 2-4 FEET of snow in the Central Mountains the next 10-14 days. Oh baby! Here comes winter! Like it or not!

Especially following such an epic winter from last year, it seems easy to get my juices flowing in anticipation of another banner powder skiing season. I can easily recall so many days of my face hurting from wind and snow coming down like bonkers, and fair weather days too! But I enjoyed the hell out of the whole experience, while carving turns in the luscious powder on my Rossignol Super 7's. Those skis make me feel like a hero!

Just in time, as we're getting stoked about winter, the Bogus Basin Ski Education Foundation Ski Swap is opening on Friday at 3 p.m. and running through Sunday at 3 p.m. Get there Friday afternoon to find the best deals, but rest assured that there are a TON of skis, ski boots, and snowboards to choose from at the swap, not to mention tons of other winter gear like ski poles, snow boots, coats, gloves, mittens, ski suits, on and on! Used backcountry skis and Nordic stuff are usually in the shortest supply, so it's especially important to get there early if you're interested in that gear.

Personally, I'm hunting for more Rossi Super 7's or Soul 7's if I can find any on the rack ... also like to get a new pair of backcountry ski boots. I also could use a new/used pair of Nordic skate skiing boots.

Good luck finding what you need!

My second topic this week is to encourage Boise residents to vote for the Open Space and Clean Water levy in the Boise City Election on Tuesday, Nov. 7. You might wonder, why do I need to vote for a levy I already voted for two years ago?

Yes. Good question. Voters approved the $10 million levy in 2015 by a 75% vote. But due to a clerical error, Ada County didn't assess the tax. The mistake had something to do with the city filling out a form improperly, but the City Council has put controls in place to make sure the form will be filled out correctly next time. Plus, let's hope someone picks up the phone and double-checks that all is good with the Ada County Assessor's office before the tax year begins ...

So the actual ballot measure reads like thus (from Ada County Elections sample ballot): 

On November 3, 2015, Boise City voters approved a temporary override levy with 74% of the vote to protect clean water and drinking water, wildlife habitat, critical open space, and native plant species, and enhance recreation opportunities and trails through the purchase of property and improvement projects in areas such as the Boise Foothills and the Boise River. Due to a clerical error, the approved levy was not assessed in the first fiscal year. To ensure that the will of the voters is preserved, shall the City of Boise, Idaho be authorized to revise the assessment period of the previously-approved temporary override levy to the two fiscal years beginning October 1, 2017 and ending September 30, 2019? If approved the final total amount collected through this override levy will remain equal to ten million dollars, as was originally approved by voters in 2015. None of the money will be spent on administrative costs and there will be oversight by a citizens' advisory committee and annual audit.

Please vote Yes! for Open Space and Clean Water. The existing open space account has less than $1 million remaining, so a fresh dose of dollars for open space is needed. Remember that in the previous go-round, the City of Boise did a stellar job of spending the first $10 million wisely, acquiring more than 10,000 acres of open space including key new trails and open space areas such as Polecat Reserve, Freddy's Stack Rock Trail, Bucktail connection to Shane's Trail in Military Reserve, Hillside to the Hollow, and much more!

We need to keep the momentum going! Vote Yes!
-SS