One of the winter caretakers at the Mazama Basecamp, Cristina Woodworth, gives us a glimpse of life at the basecamp in the winter season, and the beauty of winter in the Methow Valley, WA.
Slow coffee mornings and potlucks are the epitome of winters here in Mazama, Washington.
Randi, Katie, Michael and I have watched out the large kitchen windows of the Outward Bound lodge as the crispy reds and browns of fall have evolved to bulky snow piles and long, spindly icicles traveling off the roof.
It’s been a treat living in the shadow of the hulking snowpacked Goat Wall for the past few months. I’ll be the first to admit I was a little apprehensive about living in such a small community for the winter, but have found there are always things going on if you want something to do, although it’s equally acceptable to stay in and enjoy a book in front of a crackling woodstove fire.
As Outward Bound winter caretakers, we’ve hung up our climbing gear and stowed our road bikes in trade for snow shovels and Nordic skis. A groomed classic and skate ski track dots its way through our backyard meadow, and many days have been spent kicking and gliding along, marveling at the crazy number of blue bird days we’ve enjoyed so far.
New projects seem to pop up each day at the basecamp, but it feels good to help upkeep such a beautiful place. Although, when the roof sheds powerful thunks of snow at night, there is sometimes a little bit of exasperation thinking about the big day of shoveling in store for us. Necessary duties.
As each of us have picked up part-time jobs and gotten more plugged into the community, it feels more and more like home here on Lost River Road. We come from Ohio, Nebraska, Colorado and other parts of Washington, but Mazama definitely feels like the place to be right now.