How do I know it springtime?

• I’ve seen two bears in the last week
• Mammoth Rock trail is starting to show
• The golf course is almost all melted out
• There were only 13 cars in the eagle Lodge parking lot today
• The sun is still out at 7pm
• I haven’t made a fire at home in over a week
• The dogs are starting to shed and lose their winter coat
• The road bikers are out
• Lower rock creek is great for mountain biking
•  People have been climbing at the Warming Wall
•  I haven’t worn my puffy down jacket in weeks

I always find Spring a strange transition here in Mammoth Lakes.  In fact, it can be a little overwhelming at times.  There’s this feeling of winter ending where I want to maximize my Mammoth Mountain ski pass for the season and get those last few days on the hill.  And then knowing that the corn skiing in the backcountry can be a small window, you really have to be on top of it…especially on a year like this where so much of the lower elevation stuff is completely melted out.

But just as the mind is trying to tackle that last bit of winter, there’s also that summer excitement there.  For those of you like me, it is a time to get the hands and fingers back in climbing shape from taking the winter off the rock.  Same thing with the knees and butt…time to get back in the saddle and start hitting the road and mountain bikes again.  See, that’s where the overwhelming part comes into play.  Too many sports…this time of year you can ski, snowboard, road bike, climb, mountain bike, hike, camp, fish, and so on.

What do you have planned this spring???

~Eric