Written by: Eric Schmidgall
Emily’s Sno Park to Andies Prairie Sno Park
(Completed in winter 2023)
Gear:
  • Madshus Panorama M62
  • Alpina Alaska XP
  • Rotefella Xplore Binding
  • Hyperlite Ultamid 2
  • Hyperlite Porter 5400
  • Dynafit skimo poles
  • Sour Patch Kids
Stats:
  • 39 miles
  • 18 hours moving time
  • 30 hours total time
  • 29.99 hours alone

 

“I found myself in a dark wood, for I had lost the right path” -Dante

I encountered the above quote while reading William Styron’s devastating memoir about his battle with depression, Darkness Visible. And while I have never encountered the depths of depression that Styron did, I have often encountered in my life a deep feeling of unease and sadness. Unease that maybe life has no meaning; sadness in realizing there is little I can do about it. As a young adult, I found a solution that didn’t involve incapacitating myself with drugs: going outside. Going outside for long periods of time and doing hard things, where your sense of self and sadness and unease is met with the unforgiving wilderness and wide open skies, and where you forget yourself and your small worries and everything seems to be alright. After a long winter at the shop, full of challenges in my professional and personal life, I needed to get out on a journey outside, something bigger and better than the 30 minute lunch runs I cling to everyday in between work, school and family. And so, on a trip to Pendleton to visit my in-laws, I took the opportunity to explore the Blue Mountains on an overnight Nordic trip. 

Beyond clearing the gray out of my life and exploring the Blue Mountains, I wanted to try out some new gear I’ve been excited about: the Rotefella Xplore binding. Touted as the next evolution in backcountry Nordic bindings, it features a system that is lighter than 3 pin and provides a better walking motion and control than BC NNN bindings. I set out with this system mounted on the Madshus Panorama M62 skis, and a pair of brand new Alpina Alaska XP boots. I would ski from the Meacham Divide Nordic Area to Oregon 204 and Andis Prairie SnoPark a 40 mile route on an easy to navigate road frequented by snowmobilers. 

Let’s do this!

The day started cold and cloudy. My mother in law dropped me off at 7 am, and set off at a steady pace. I knew it was supposed to start raining at lower elevations, and I wanted to get to higher elevations where it would be snowing. I made fairly good time, with the 50 pound pack full of winter camping gear not slowing me down too much. The first ten miles were straightforward – I was able to follow snowmobile tracks and the Xplore binding had a fluid walking motion. Much better than BC NNN. Otherwise, it was a bit dull as I was still low down in the trees and there weren’t many views. I stopped for lunch around noon. 

Lunch time

After that things got a bit more interesting. I ascended to 5500’, and expansive views opened before me. Around 17 miles in, the snowmobile tracks petered out, and I was left breaking trail through several inches of sticky snow. The slow progress was alleviated by the spectacular views to the east of the Wallowas and the valley in between. As I hit the high point, the wind picked up and the sunlight started to fade and the snow began to fall and then blow, and the clouds descended upon me until there was no separation of earth and sky, only the air in front of me and the ground below. By dark I was enveloped in a blizzard, and my headlamp illuminated my skis and the flakes speeding through time and space. 

By 9 pm, I was exhausted, having traveled 26 miles – the last 9 miles taking as long as the first 17. I hadn’t seen a person or any wildlife all day, and as I dug out the snow to pitch my shelter I could feel only the darkness around me and fatigue. I pitched my shelter and as I lay in my sleeping bag with all my clothes on the snow continued to fall at a rapid clip. Before I closed my eyes it had started to pile up around my shelter. 

I awoke at 6 and the snow had stopped. I struggled to get going as soon as possible before the cold had time to register in my brain. My shelter was covered with several inches of snow on the side but had held up remarkably well pitched with my ski in the center. I shouldered my heavy pack again and began trudging through the 8” of snow that had fallen overnight. It was quiet. I could hear my breath, nothing else. As I rounded a corner the sun exploded over the eastern horizon and bathed the snow covered Blue Mountains in light. 

Sunrise over the Blue Mountains

The day stretched before me. I broke trail for several hours. After the sun had come up, the earth and sky were sharply delineated – blinding snow and an enormous blue dome above me and I felt like an insignificant speck and happy. Time dragged on. The effort from the day before resonated in my body, and because of my focus on forward movement I had sacrificed my hydration and eating. I slowed. The pack dug into my shoulders. Two miles away from the end, mouth stuffed full with Sour Patch Kids, three snowmobilers went by. I waved and was freed from my labors, as the glide on the snowmobile trail was infinitely easier than before.

I made it to the paved road and my in-laws arrived with my daughter. She looked at me, and smiled, and where there was darkness, there was light. 

“And so we came forth, and once again beheld the stars.” -Dante

 

Bluewood to Tollgate
Completed in winter 2024
Gear:
  • Madshus Panorama M62
  • Alpina Alaska XP
  • Rotefella Xplore Binding
  • Hyperlite Ultamid 2
  • Hyperlite Porter 5400
  • Dynafit skimo poles
  • Sour Patch Kids
Stats:
  • 41 miles
  • 19 hours moving time
  • 31 hours total time

 

After last year’s trip, and skiing some laps at Spout Springs (check it out!), I knew there had to be a good route between Tollgate, near where I ended my trip last year, and Bluewood, the famed ski area on the north side of the Blue Mountains. A little research revealed a good option: Kendall Skyline Road, a forest road closed in the winter which stretched south from Bluewood, climbing up to 6,000 feet and slicing through the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness. It looked remote and challenging: in other words, perfect. 

My wife and brother in law dropped me off at the end of the road to Bluewood. Heavy snow was falling as most cars sped to hit the lifts at Bluewood. I quickly hefted my gear onto my back and left the crowded ski area behind and began striding up a steady climb. The light snowmobile traffic on the forest road diminished to nothing and I began breaking trail in a couple inches of fresh snow. I was on the same setup as last year, and it was performing admirably, but the conditions became somewhat daunting. 

As I ascended into the wilderness, signs of civilization vanished and the snowfall and wind picked up. Strong winds and blowing snow along with my skinny nordic skis made the travel slow going. The Xplore binding is incredible for doing long tours like this, but any downhill skiing was challenging in the deep snow. The wind came close to knocking me off my feet a couple times, making the route I was taking feel more and more adventurous. 

Several hours into the day, I crested a ridge and was blasted with wind. I was treated to a brief window in the weather, and could see far off into the dry plains of Eastern Washington to the right and beautiful snow laden valleys to the left. I took a moment to enjoy the view and snack, savoring the rewards of the hard effort so far. I continued on, winding along steep mountainsides and scoping out backcountry ski lines to hopefully hit someday in the future.

Traversing

As the morning turned to late afternoon, visibility was often reduced down to zero. I remained high above the Blue Mountain valleys below but missed out on much of the scenery obscured by driving snow and clouds. At some point, I passed the Oregon and Washington border. The route I was on felt lightly traveled, as the road seemed to almost disappear at times and could barely hold one car in the summer. 

Top of the ridge

Wild country

By nightfall, the snow had stopped. Travel was still slow but the winds had died down and the stars came out. I made it to my camp spot by 10 pm. I hadn’t taken my skis off all day, and had traveled only 20 miles in close to 13 hours of moving time. I was breaking trail almost the entire day, and fatigue was hard to overcome. The day wasn’t over quite yet, as I had to shovel out my shelter site and try to stay warm enough to fall asleep. I tried to look at the luminous stars above for as long as possible before crawling back into my sleeping bag. 

The next morning, I shoved my feet into frozen Alpina Alaskas. The boots fit great, but not so much when they are frozen solid. I got going as quickly as possible to get the blood flowing, and had the good luck of a brilliant sunny morning that contrasted strongly with the previous day’s challenging conditions. I climbed a bit and passed a broad meadow, and instantly I could tell this section of forest road was more heavily traveled. The road became wider at the Bone Springs warming shelter, and I hit a long, rolling descent where I had maybe the only type 1 fun of the trip.

Sunny second day

Breaking trail

The rest of the day  was rolling hills and wet new snow clung to my skis as the temps climbed. I passed Jubilee Lake, a place I had heard of from stories of my wife’s childhood. Just like last year, I saw some snowmobilers who made my life a lot easier with their tracks. The final descent towards the Tollgate area was a highlight as I could see the Spout Springs in the distance, a defunct ski area. I’ve come to love backcountry skiing there when I’m in the area. 

It was just an overnight, but this excursion had everything I was hoping for in a once a year trip. Difficult weather, remote terrain, incredible views and a route that is rarely traveled. And though I’ve only spent a few days in these mountains in the winter, my relationship with the Blues has deepened in a meaningful way. These mountains won’t be found on the cover of Powder magazine, but they are wild and inspiring and magnificent. 

This spring, I plan on completing my backcountry nordic traverse of the Blues by skiing from Hilgard off I-84 to Anthony Lakes ski area. Stay tuned for more!

Backcountry skiing at Spout Springs the day after the trip