Our winter season is off to a slow start with classic warm, wet, freeze, a bit of snow, rain, cold, freeze, some snow and repeat. We are really hoping that we get that one season starting big snow dump.
Our club membership is from all over, but many of us who volunteer live in the I-90 corridor area. We are doing our snow dances and hoping to pull off a race next weekend - the Dogtown Winter Derby - held at popular Camp Koinonia near Cle Elum. Volunteers are out clearing trails and grooming when they can. Many locals have many training hours in running dogs out of Camp K and last weekend it was most excellent. Then it rained.
The current forecast ramped up the precipitation amounts, but the west side lowlands have a "hydrologic outlook" on so we just need to wait and see. Hence the decision on Wed. Jan.8th, 2020. Camp Koinonia is in a "microclimate" and tends to be colder than the pass.
At this point, there is not enough snow to groom out of the dog sled staging area at Crystal Springs and dog mushing is certainly doable, but not pristine corduroy with which we've been spoiled.
If there is one thing that is constant, winters in the Pacific Northwest are quite variable and can change dramatically within hours.