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Outdoor Program sponsors Wallowa weekend
y brother and sisters and I
used to dig little tunnels in
the snowdrifts of North
Dakota when we were young. I was
now, along with two other equally
curious people in my group, digqing
an ho!l88t-to-goodnea snow
cave in which we were qoinq to
spend the niqht. We were qoing to
aD.IWer, once and for &1, the question:
Is sleeping in the snow for the
insane or otherwise mentally inferior?
There are those who won't even
credit the idea as being imbecilic,
but on a January weekend, 20 participants
on an ASUI Outdoor Proqram
trip set out to prove that with
a shovel and a bit of energy and ingenuity,
a winter camper can use a
material that's plentiful in winter
and spend a comfortable niqht
sleeping in a mow cave.
We left the SUB at 6 a.m. Saturday
for the drive to the W anowa
Mountains in northeastern Oreqon.
Our destination was the High
W allowas qondola at the base of Mt.
Howard, which we hoped to reach
by 9 a.m., when the first tram cars
beqan running skiers to the summit
of the 8,500 foot peak.
The gondola risa8 3,700 feet from
base to summit, and a ride on it has
to be incb~~ among the most
scenic activities there are in the
Northwest.
Set aqainst the backdrop of the
Wanowas and the 200,000 acre
Eaqle Cap Wildem888, the qondola
creates a distinct European flavor to
the whole ezperience of snow campinq.
In fact, in promotional
literature, the area is known as
"America's Alps."
When approaching the WaUowas
from the north side, as we did, the
visitor is qreeted by the very impressive
5,000 foo~north face of the
ranqe. In spite of these scenic at·
tributes which draw huge 8WiliD8r
crowds, the area remains relatively
unknown amonq winter travelers.
Joe Erhler, the owner of Four
Season Sports in nearby Enterprise,
said he coDsiders the Wanowas the
beet kept secret in Northwest sJdinq.
But, he added that nobody's bean
trying to keep it hushed up.
The word's starting to qet out. For
a $7 charqe, the qondola makes ac­
C8811ible a variety of terrain suitable
for skiers of an levels. Cross country
skiers can bock oft 3,700 feet of
climbing in 15 mbiutes, instead of
spending most of a day at it. It's a
barqain.
We mat with Jim Rennie, ASUI
programs coordinator and trip
leader, at the tram at about 9:30
a .m.
Our hope~ for a sunny day were
squashed during the 15 minute ride
up the mountain as we ascended
throuqh layers of light drizzle, foq
and clouds.
Aa we reached the tram house on
the summit, we were qreeted by
blowinq mow and gray skies. Wind
suits were donned, caps pulled
down and pacb weiqhinq up to 45
pounds, were shouldered.
From the 8UIIllllit we would ski, or
snowshoe as some memben of the
party c:;ho&e to do, about a half mile
down a ridqe to a place where the
snow would be deep enouqh for us
to diq snow caves.
Those who had to wu their cross
country skies did 10, and oft we
went.
Moustachea and beards iced up
as breathinq qrew labored under
the struqqle of travelinq while tryinq
to keep from qettiDq blown oft
balance.
After 40 minutaa of sldinq, mixed
with walking across spots that had
been blown clear of an 8llOW 1 W8 ar•
rived at our digqing site - a
sheltered area where the blowing
snow seemed to find refuge.
The hard work beqan after a
quick lunch of high energy, highsuqar
goodies. The larve qroup split
up into five smaller groupt of three
to five people, and after eoma brief
m.truction from Rennie, evcyone
got to the task at Jumc:l.
We were inatructed to find a
auitable area, such as a deep snow
drift or a place where the mow had
been blown and deposited by wind
- a deposition zone.
Then, lib a bunch of moles, we
beqan digqinq a home for the night
- in the 8I10W.
We carvec:l oft part af the drift
CODIIDuecl !)>
Outdoor Program Trip 35