Ress v Res

     So given the minimal snowpack and long period without snow we thought it would be a good idea to snowbike the popular Resurrection Pass trail.  The plan was to bike into Devil's Pass from the North Trailhead and then out the other side in 2 nights/3 days.  I don't have a snowbike so I rented one from APU.  It turns out they rent a great assortment of gear to the public, including snowbikes, at an affordable rate.  We headed down Friday late afternoon and were on the trail by 6pm-ish.
     We found warm temps getting warmer and a trail that was decreasingly traveled the farther we went in.  The goal was Devil's Pass(15mi?) assuming smooth travel.  We made it about 4 miles in and started to push the bikes given the unpacked and increasingly soft snow.  It was here I decided I am not a night-travel person.  All that could be seen was the few feet my headlight could illuminate which takes away the great panoramas.  After sweating and slogging in soft snow we decided to just stash the bikes at a campsite and hike to the nearest cabin.
     Upon arrival to the Caribou Creek cabin we checked maps to confirm our location and re-evaluate our plan for the weekend.  We would indeed turn back given our lack of optimism on the ease-of-travel.  We attempted to start a fire about five times, each time smoke filling the cabin and no fire.  It had to have been the stove and leaky chimney.  Of the few outdoor things I'm good at, fire starting is one, and this thing would not go.  So now I was cold, no fire, no primary objective met, I carried 1 gallon of stove fuel for nothing and weather is bunk on my long stretch off work again........... 
     Sleep helps a lot, so does food and a good sleeping bag.  I felt renewed the next morning with the sun mostly out and a new day.    Temps cooled off during the clear night and it was refreshing to have watched the stars.  The trail was relatively harder packed so when we returned to our bikes we were able to bike most of the way back to the TH.  It was here I discovered how bad my rear felt from the pack and the hard seat.  It was a miserable ride in that sense, but easy as it was mostly downhill and beautiful because we could see the incredible landscape in the daylight.  I will definitely return, maybe this winter but no doubt next summer.