Car Count:      Green Rock         31 (5 w/o trailer) at 8:30 a.m.
                                   52 (18 w/o trailer) at 3:00 p.m.
                Turnout Below GR.   0 at 8:30 a.m.
                                    1 at 3:00 p.m.
                Little Laramie      1 at 8:30 a.m.
                                    1 at 4:30 p.m.
                Corner Mountain     0 at 8:30 a.m.
                                    1 at 4:30 p.m.
                Barber Lake Rd.     1 at 8:30 a.m.
                                    1 at 4:30 p.m.

Snow Stake Data:  19 inches

Ski Location:   Travelled with Tim Gilbert and Tom Plawman.  Began at Green Rock
Picnic Area and proceeded to climb Libby Creek Loop to point overlooking lower canyon.
Dug snowpits at this point.  Continued on to far west extent of Libby Creek Loop Trail
(in reasonably good condition, some drifting has obscured the groomed trail).  Climbed up
drainage to Bear Lake for lunch, then climbed to meadow at head of Sally Creek gorge.
Continued down Sally Creek to Skinny Dip Meadows (finally saw four other nordic skiers,
trying their luck on the tele hill).  Skied down through Snowy Mountain Lodge and returned
to Green Rock at 3 p.m.

Note:  with the thin snowpack to date, creek crossings are a bit dicey, with
several waterways still exposed or bridged by very weak snow cover.  Backcountry
snow travelers (snow shoers, skiers, snowmobilers) should proceed with care
around waterways.

Snow Pit Data:

Observer:               Jerry Hamann
Date and Time:          9:30 am, 21 December 1997
Location:               First observation point on Libby Creek Loop Trail
                        SE Corner of SE1/4, NW1/4, Sec 24 T16N R79W
Elevation:              9940 feet
Surface Roughness:      Smooth
Aspect:                 Southeast Facing (120 degrees), Open slope well below ridgeline
Incline:                20 degrees
Sky:                    Partly Cloudy
Precipitation:          None
Wind:                   Light, S
Surface snow:           Loose powder with some sun crusting
Depth:                  64 cm surface to ground
Foot penetration:       Variable, 10 to 40 cm
Ski penetration:        5 cm
======================================================================================
H (cm) R        F               D (mm)  W       Shovel  Comment         H (cm)  T (C)
======================================================================================
                                                                          Air     -4.5
0                                                                           0     -6.5
      FIST      Needles/Dendr.   1    Dry                Powder and Sun Crust
5
                                                                           10     -5.0
      FIST      Rounded Grains   1    Dry
15
      4F        Scintered Grains 1    Dry
                                                         Thin crusts       20     -4.0
25    
      FIST      Grains/Small Fac.1-2  Dry
                                                                           30     -2.5
40                                                                         40     -1.5
      1 to 4F   Scintered Grains 1-2  Dry                Hard Slab
45                                             * Fails *
      FIST      Large Facets     3-4  Dry      ********* Depth Hoar
                                                                           50     0
50    K         Ice  
64                                                                         Ground 0
=====================================================================================
Remarks:  Shovel shear and Rutschblock tests failed at the common interface of the
hard slab overlaying depth hoar.  Both tests required some effort (some pull with
shovel, four hard jumps with RB).  Snowpack above the failure held together
surprisingly well, possibly due to some scintered layers of light windpack and sun crust.
This southeast slope varied greatly from the north/northeast slopes encountered during
the tour (uncohesive snows in windless areas, with foot penetration to the ground).
The wind scoured slopes have substantial leeward wind crusts and typical drifting/loading.
Snows in the sheltered upper reaches of the Libby Creek drainage showed some surface hoar
development, which could be important to future snowpack instability.