scouting trip - ice safari

 Because I'd much rather be out there on foot and see how bad it is, than to get into my car and end up down a ditch at the first turn etc.  We were wondering if 39 degrees might be enough that we could get out and get over the roads and get a new tank of propane - but seeing this, I don't think so.  Plus, as Mark put it 'even the dog with adaptive four wheel drive took a slide of course people and cars will, too'.  I saw evidence of even deer couldn't keep their footing and slid noticeably in their footprints - and a video online of a deer trying to get down a hill that just ended up doing a belly slide all the way down.

 In order, from the beginning to the hill where I fell on my own tail and decided to come home.  I didn't split open my knee again, which is good.   

 

 

 

 

and that was the big hill I've been stuck on several times before.  A few years back I got stuck on the OTHER side of that double hill and had to stash the truck in a neighbor's yard for two weeks until someone helped us pull it out.  It was either there or I was going down one of those gullies with it, and I gave up and walked the rest of the way home.

Knitted these gloves on my 'pseudocode' pattern a long time ago now, and still using them.  I have a green pair that doesn't have the enormous cuffs - but on occasions like this I can see why I originally made them like this.

the ice can be pretty, too - but there is still a whole heck of a lot of it out there

did try to take some pictures of the turkey and deer tracks out there - but on the phone camera it is mostly white on white, hard to see them. 

Hard won small progress from yesterday - lots of ice bricks thrown to the side, but still only about a 4 foot by 4 foot area cleared.  It is sleet on top of actual ice on top of hardened sleet again and then powdery fluff beneath it.  Mark says 'this is why this almost unplowable out there - and why driving over it when it is melting is so slick and compacts it worse.'   This is how hard I tried to get down to the gravel yesterday when it was barely 32 degrees out - I might go try again after a little bit here but I will not be trying to get out and get to town and back.