What about that weather?
- Thread starter Shawn Seeger
- Start date
I am just sitting at the bench looking out at the 27 degree hard frost, and the sun rising over the hill dreaming of coming days!!! Brrrrr... And getting ready for the run over the pass... My favorite early spring bird returned yesterday!!! (Redwing Blackbird) 15 days and counting
PS... Thanks for the ice reports @Buzzy
This looks like it is setting up free up some water!!! A little more wind would help also, but the SUN looks great.
I'm not sure where this screen shot is from, there's one night in the next ten (Weatheru/g) where the nighttime low is above freezing in 98823 land. But you are right, I'm sure these daytime temperatures and all the blue sky and sun are weaking and thinning the ice. Fingers crossed!! A day or two of 45F, sun and W would go a long way to opening water for us.
That is from Beverly, Wunderground...
But looks NOAA has similar forecast...
National Weather Service
forecast.weather.gov
Different world down in Beverly/Schwana than 98823. Much warmer, fingers crossed you'll get a melt! I should drive down there this coming week and go for a walk into Lenice.....................That is from Beverly, Wunderground...
View attachment 4995
But looks NOAA has similar forecast...
National Weather Service
MEGA THREAD DRIFT, WARNING: A couple miles west of Royal City on the south side of SR26 is Judy's - used to be an American food restaurant but has changed hands and serves very good Mexican food. Shrimp tacos, carne asada meal, chicken enchiladas. All delicious. Need a break from the freezing cold or (heaven forbid: "W") head up there. Only takes about 50 minutes to get there from Ephrata.
Wayne Kohan
Life of the Party
So I wandered in the desert today with my lovely wife as I was looking for a lake I’ve never been to. I’ve still never been to it. Water is beginning to start trying to open.
And the people who say just “follow the little blue lines” are over-estimating the ability of the rest of us to read a map and find a trail. Actually I started in the wrong parking lot. I’ll find it next week, and it will be open water then.
And the people who say just “follow the little blue lines” are over-estimating the ability of the rest of us to read a map and find a trail. Actually I started in the wrong parking lot. I’ll find it next week, and it will be open water then.
I've found a lot of trails in the Basin, some are well defined or at least appear to be. One of the CNWR lakes I've hiked into a half dozen times has multiple trails to it. They're cattle trails and invariably split a dozen times and I have to ask myself "which fork this time". I'm often wrong. I know I won't get lost but I may not find the lake I'm looking for, it has happened.
I thought for sure I could follow this trail in, no diversions, no extra distance. Those are size 14 wading boot prints. They belong to one of the forum moderators who goes by the secret name of @Billy. I ended up at the right lake, but I got sidetracked twice and took the wrong trail several times. No big deal, good exercise.
In Yakima today visiting my mom and the lakes that were frozen last week are at 50% ice free or more. Spring is coming!
I went for a walk along the cow trails up and over a hill to find a desert lake last fall. I eventually found it after walking almost twice the distance I had planned. When I arrived I was on both the wrong side and end of the lake from where I had expected. I eventually got oriented and did some fishing. Lesson learned though; don’t trust the cows!
When I was a student at the UW majoring in geology, we had a summer field camp in northern Washington mapping a USGS quadrant as a class. My partner and I were dropped off by the professor with a location identified on the map. As we hiked out from the location, the map didn’t make sense and we kept arguing. Finally, we walked east where we should have been able to look down into the valley. All we saw was another ridge; don’t trust the prof.
Wayne Kohan
Life of the Party
Funny, because as we left the parking lot trying to find a trail, which did not exist from that parking lot, I followed some boot prints, but as we kept wandering the desert, there were no more bootprints but only deer tracks and coyote tracks and scat. Saw some deer from a distance, as well as a pair of eagles in a tree. The sun was out and I hiked in short sleeves. We would have eventually made it to the lake as we eventually found the right parking lot after 1.5 miles in the brush, but my wife has some foot issues and changing a 4 mile hike into a 7 or 8 mile hike didn‘t make sense.
You have to be a bit careful on this side when you jump off the trail and crouch. You know: scorpions, black widows, killer hornets, rattlesnakes, ticks, not to mention the two mountain lions resting on grade school playground equipment in Mattawa. Are you still planning a trip this way?
Leaving here on the 28th come
I heard a rumor that Rod and Indicatortatdude were headed this way and going to hike into Secret Lake No. 7 this weekend. I decided to hike into the lake today to see if and or how the ice is coming off. I could tell part of the lake was ice free a good half mile before I got within sight of the ice/water. Waterfowl - flock after flock of geese and ducks enmasse setting their wings. When I broke over the hilltop, I spooked several thousand birds, then several thousand more. I felt like I was invading their sanctuary, so I didn't stay very long.
The trail in was icy in places but mostly free of ice and snow; lots of mud, I was surprised there wasn't too much frost heave.
It was 50F with a strong wind out of the northwest. I imagine there won't be any ice left on the lake by the weekend, but fishing conditions are going to be very tough.
I didn't have a secchi disk with me but I'm guessing less than 3 cm visibility. I've probably been to this lake 50 times over the last 35 or so years and often visibility is less than optimal but today was the dirtiest I've ever seen.
Heiwa!
The trail in was icy in places but mostly free of ice and snow; lots of mud, I was surprised there wasn't too much frost heave.
It was 50F with a strong wind out of the northwest. I imagine there won't be any ice left on the lake by the weekend, but fishing conditions are going to be very tough.
I didn't have a secchi disk with me but I'm guessing less than 3 cm visibility. I've probably been to this lake 50 times over the last 35 or so years and often visibility is less than optimal but today was the dirtiest I've ever seen.
Heiwa!
Sounds like where I grew up...and we had cactus too. I'm bringing my cougar repellent!
That many birds is definitely 1 reason the water is dirty. Glad to hear 50 and windy! Burn baby burn!