Snow still too deep off the beaten path.

Whenever Pax would attempt leaving the trail and going cross country he would do fine as long as the crust held, but when it didn’t, he would bottom out. There were times when I thought I might have to attempt a rescue, and I found that worrisome because I had no idea how.

St several places up on the hill I had to leave the plowed road because of frozen sheets of meltwater (no creepers). Unlike Pax I had zero chance of staying on the crust, so had to slog forward slowly, stepping lightly and then crashing down—almost knee deep—with every step.

The melting continues, but there is a lot more to go.

Sue got her second shot this afternoon.