We went to the site bright and early this morning for Danny and Eli's last snow pit dig. We were breaking trail through about 8 to 12" of new snow. The conditions were much colder and windier than yesterday. The UW 2.5 meter sonic was still clear of snow, but the Downwind 2 meter sonic was starting to get covered. The next few days are forecast to be sunny, so the new snow should consolidate. While on site, the four Lidar USB drives were exchanged. I checked with Ethan to verify that all Lidar Pis were reporting to the new USB drives. I also removed the snow from the UW NR01, and attempted to clean it.
The site in early morning sun with wavy snow.
The NOAA radiation table is almost covered with snow.
This afternoon we received a welcome surprise. A snowcat groomed the entire road from the trailhead to RMBL.
This will help with the trip out on Friday morning. I don't know how long the road will stay this nice, since next week the area is forecast with another significant dump.
Sunset on Mt Crested Butte from the cabin:
