I love a spring like this, when it warms quickly after winter.
The choice of outdoor activities is great during this transition period, and the weather has been magnificent.
This past week I've gone hiking, mountain biking, done float trips on area rivers and closed down the last of winter's lingering downhill ski runs at Boyne Mountain this past Sunday. The sunny days were just icing on the cake.
April 20 is as late as I've ever skied in the Heartland. Actually, it's as late as I've skied anywhere. There are still a few places left out west and a couple in the east that will ski into May, but for the Great Lakes region it was a long season. When I found out the Mountain was going for one last hurrah, I had to join.
It wasn't bad for slushy spring conditions. There were probably six or seven slopes that you could negotiate your way down, and even a mile-long trail that crept around the back side of the ski hill and wrapped around to the front. They were running just the high-speed, six-seat lift, but that got your everywhere you could possibly ski or ride.
I pulled out my Volant Chubs -- my fat powder skis -- and had a great time skiing with just a light pair of long pants and a T-shirt. The temperature reached around 70 degrees. The snow was like mashed potatoes, but the Chubs carve through slush like they do powder. I was having fun, and so were the few others that showed up; probably about 50 or 60 other people.
"Isn't this great," said an elderly man that I rode up the lift with. "How often do you get to ski this late in April in Michigan? This is one for the record books. I'm saving this lift ticket with the date on it. I've never skied this late, and at my age I may not get to again."
I understood his sentiment. My lift ticket now resides on my office wall along with other ski memorabilia collected over four decades. It was a fitting end to an outstanding snowsports season. I couldn't help but think as I walked off the slopes on Sunday that somewhere in heaven Everett Kircher was probably smiling.
With the April warm up the ground has dried quickly leaving area trails in great shape for mountain biking and hiking. This time of year our normal highs should be in the 50s, so being able to kick off the biking season riding in shorts and a T-shirt has been great.
My labs like it, because they have still been able to find a few left over snow piles that they can roll in to cool off and eat the snow for water. I'm content to just watch. I don't roll in the snow.
The early warm spell has also been great for kayaking and canoeing. Normally you would probably want to use a spray skirt with your kayak this time of year, but no need so far. The water is still cold enough that long pants feel good sitting in the kayak, but just a light shirt along with my PFD is all I've needed on top.
We do desperately need some rain to both dampen the wildfire danger and moisten the soil to get the morels going. A warm, soaking rain would be ideal for both situations, and, notice I did say warm. We don't need cold again until next November.
It's one of the best starts to spring and the warm season that we've enjoyed in recent years. Hopefully you got outdoors and enjoyed some of this wonderful stretch of weather we've been enjoying. This is northern Michigan where weather patterns can change in a heart beat, or so it seems. I recall cross-country skiing on a skim of snow in early May back in the 1980s. However, I've been there, done that. Bring on the warmth.
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