Living Earl: An uphill stroll

Waking up late is the worst. A 5:45 alarm can be more confusing that helpful at times. Awaking in a complete state of confusion with no clue what is creating all that noise or why it would be doing such a thing when you are so tired, is disconcerting. Nearly an hour passes when I get a call from Parker saying, "hey! I am at the mouth of Little Cottonwood. Where are you?"

"Crap."

I was supposed to meet Forrest Shearer and Parker at the Parking lot at Alta. I shoot Forrest a text and then scramble out the door. We were hoping for a long tour but my absent mind forgot that I have to work at 4. We still have enough time for some fun so when I finally get my sorry butt up to the trail head and we get moving. Forrest didn't have to wait too long so I don't feel too terrible. This was my second time riding with him. We make our way up to the ridge. As we gain the summit I am able to peer down into Days Fork. There are some amazing zones back there.

The tour Forrest had planned doesn't really work out. Parker is on Snowshoes, which are slower than split boards, and I caused us to get a late start. We end up just messing around on a cornice and then traversing a ridge to hit another zone full of fun little airs and a good sized cliff. Right as we get there the clouds move in and we loose visibility. We decided to bag it and ride down to the car. Bummer. As we get to the car the clouds clear and it turns sunny again.... double bummer. The day was nonetheless awesome. Forrest showed me to some cool zones and told me about some others. I will definitely be back this way soon.