Run-off?

The local weather channels have just officially declared this the warmest March in recorded history. We’ve been discussing it with you for a while, but now it is official!

A subtitle of that would put moisture at an all-time low also. We haven’t kept record, but a couple of small snowstorms, a couple of rain showers would constitute moisture this month and be about the average for each month this winter.

So we noted the dust in the Southern Hills last week. This week we checked out the gulches of the Northern Hills.

It all started with a couple from East River who are interested in a claim. We met them at Cheyenne Crossing, then took the roundabout way into the Tinton area due to continued road closure past Roughloch Falls.

First I want to say that although self-proclaimed “greenhorns,” the couple had done their research and were pretty sure what they wanted to find. That’s pretty helpful.

So I can establish status quo in the Black Hills… a trip to Cheyenne Crossing this time of year usually means driving between snow-plowed drifts, the top feet being fresher snow atop at least a couple feet of winter-packed ice. These are some of the harder hit winter areas of the Hills. When they measure annual snow pack, this is the place!

 We found relatively little snow, northern exposures with some snow pack but the majority open of snow. Spruce-filled gulches were a beautiful spring green as long as you stayed at eye level. Higher on the hills were patches of “red tops”. Sprigs of green grass were coming up everywhere!

We’ve been this way many times in the spring, and the norm would be gushing creeks if not still frozen, seepage in every road cut!

We stopped at Little Deer Creek and saw the only spring run-off of the trip! A trickle came over the bank to the creek, creating a slightly muddied flow.

Hiking in the clearings was no problem… a few remnants of drifts up steep gulches and under groves of trees.

We didn’t drive off the main roads at all… it was still soggy enough to rut up roads.

A little to add here from Patricia and sons, who emailed about fishing and picnicking at Deerfield Lake, the most oft reported for extreme winter temps… “mostly an ice covered lake except for the edges but that didn't stop Gerald, lots of bites but no dinner!”

So we don’t know what to expect… a blizzard is always still possible. We can recall just a few years ago a blizzard causing a three-day power outage. The reason we recall it so well is that it happened a few days before Robey’s birthday in late April. We found him a Power Ranger bike, and when the power guys showed up to restore power told him the Power Rangers must have brought it for being such a good boy while the power was out!

We’re going to hope for rain… no lightning and thunder please! The last thunderstorm that blew through started multiple fires!

Permit updates include an on-site inspection at Friday Gulch in May.

And a big congratulations is in order for Ronnie, Casey, their baby that Bob calls their "little nugget", Trent and Julie on acquisition of the “Lucky 7” claim. They’re all looking forward to weekends in the Hills.