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More Fun with Methow Trails

It was supposed to be Ski to the Sun, the 40 k marathon/relay race from Mazama to Sun Mountain but low snow on the valley floor forced the cancellation of the race. That didn’t stop the fun or keep folks from enjoying good ski conditions at Chickadee, Mazama and Rendezvous. I went to Chickadee and the Après party at the Methow Trails headquarters to get some photos.

I don’t know why but it seems that most events here in the Methow turn into costume/dance parties. This was no exception. At Chickadee, many skiers donned colorful outfits and the volunteers at the aid station were dressed in lots of spangly color and they had tunes going and they knew all the dance moves too. Rumor has it that there was whiskey at the Rendezvous. There was a DJ at the après party and raffles, food and beer too. And some dogs. Good times were had by all.

Yesterday’s Walk

Yesterday was a gray day, very typical of what we’ve experienced this winter. Lots of gray days and not much snow. Here are some scenes from our walk, mostly shades of gray with little color. And perhaps, a cougar kill.

Doggie Dash 2026

Saturday, Methow Trails once again hosted the Doggie Dash at their headquarters in Winthrop on a glorious sunny day. The Doggie Dash is a long running event that features a six-legged race with one person and one dog per team AND it’s a costume contest. Some folks want to win the race; others want to win the costume contest and take home the coveted Golden Poodle. It’s a traveling trophy which returns each year. There are three categories – adults with small dogs, kids and adults with big dogs. There were only two small dog teams. The other categories had more teams so there were two heats to determine who would go on to the finals race. The day started with a costume parade before the races and the best costume was decided at the end. This is always a favorite winter event with lots of spectators.

Sunny Day

The blonde dogs came for a sleep over yesterday and lucky us, the sun came out to celebrate! We had a week of solid gray days and nights so it was a welcome sight.

Molly, being the senior dog, is now president of the Good Girls’ Club and she presides with dignity, even when rolling in the snow. Willow is the new secretary. Winnie has yet to accept any responsibility and some say she may still be in probationary status! We are all waiting for Molly to produce an agenda and a meeting date. She says it’s so hard to get those distant dogs – Junie, Addie, Rozie and Ginger, to commit to a date they can all be here (or somewhere else) together. Gretta says she’s around most of the time but not February! Everyone is so busy these days.

Out of the Valley

Willow and I took a little drive to see something different, walk somewhere new and maybe find some birds. We had a good walk and saw a few birds, but not very many. It seems like there are fewer birds around this winter. Has anyone else noticed this? At the old cemetery with a nice view, we did hear Pygmy Nuthatches and Red Crossbills and a Red-breasted Nuthatch. Our hike in the hills through what appeared to be good winter habitat with little snow only yielded a flock of House Finches, a couple juncos and flickers. The Common Loon in basic plumage was on the big river. I did drive by a Northern Shrike and later found a Northern Saw-whet Owl. The squirrel was just cute and cooperative.