Four Peaks Wheeling

With our appetite for snow salivating once again we decided to try and stay local to find some more.  The Four Peaks could be seen capped in white from town, so we decided to load up the dog, some lunch and head out.

Some rain this past Wednesday had left the dirt road a bit mucky and the creeks flowing.  Was a nice change from the dusty ribbon of bumps that usually meets the 4Runners tread.  There wasn't much traffic and we had the route almost all to ourselves.  Occasionally clouds would build over the peaks but our hopes for more weather were dashed quickly by the sun breaking back through.

Good flow:

Clear water:

At the top, Mousse was release to run wild.  With her usually darting, jumping, whining, wagging, bolting style she explored the parking lot and surveyed the route ahead.  There wasn't as much snow as on Mingus, so we opted to leave the snowshoes in the truck. Micki was bundled head to toe with her fancy boots, down jacket, jeans and a scarf.  I opted for shorts, running shoes and a light jacket. The dog didn't seem to notice or care and was begging us just to get started.

"This white stuff is AMAZING!!!"

We trodded along for a while.  The dog looping around and catching snowballs thrown to her.  Always confused as once the catch was made, the ball always disappeared. With warmer wetter and possibly a little rain, the crunch was crusty and in some cases slippery with ice.  Mousse found another pair of hikers and said her hello's much to the initial fear and then joy of the little girl perched on Daddy's shoulders.  

Widdled stone:

There wasn't really a destination in mind. After some time had passed and hunger pangs began to, well... pang, we turned back around.

Views from our stop:

Holy tree:

Micki a bit less bundled:

Myself generally underbundled:

Self potrait (can you guess who is who?):

After lunch at the truck, we headed back down.  Was a nice day with good weather.  A little cold when the sun hid behind the clouds and the breeze picked up but the dog didn't seem to care a bit.  Mousse made her final head out the window inspections of the area on the way home, barking at a heard of roaming dogs once we crossed into the reservation.  Was nice to get her out and about which can be hard to do with all the cycling we have been trying to squeeze in lately.

Four wheel fun: