... in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Caribbean Sea ...
... somewhere on the island of Providenciales ...
... on the shores of the World's Most Beautiful Beaches ...
... there was a house by the sea ...
... a Birthday Girl ...
... a Never-Ending Explorer ...
... an underworld playground (Smith's Reef) ...
... a 2000' long spectacular (Taylor) Bay ...
... a dangerous cove full of modern day Pirates ...
... "Two American Women ... Fly Fishing in Pirate's Cove" ...
... Pirate's Cove ...
... sunsets ...
... a captain of the Sea ...
Captain Darin is a native of the Turks and Caicos. He has been fishing these waters, both in the flats and in the deep blue, since his youth. He is an accomplished boat Captain, lobster and conch diver, deep sea and bottom fisherman ... but his true love is Turks and Caicos Islands bonefishing.
... numerous bent rods ...
Hunting the Grey Ghost
... a mysterious Blue Hole ...
... oh, AND ... a dolphin ...
... a mysterious shipwreck ...
... a local fish fry ...
The aroma of fresh fish frying permeates the air, while visual treats abound with vats of boiling lobster and conch salad masters plying their craft.
The In-Between is always a time of winter reflection for me. Thinking back on this past ski season, East Vail is always the elephant in the room.
Charlie's Death Chutes (CDC), Abraham's, Old Man's, Tweeners, NBA, King Tut's ... means absolutely nothing to most folks. However, I've been shamelessly stalking EV for 3 years (although, I prefer the phrase "intensely researching"). I confess to trolling Instagram all winter long (year after year), coveting an elite group of shredders posting photo after photo of blower pow, framing faces with that crAzy "HOLYF*&^!@#SHIT" smirk plastered all over their Smith goggled, pie holes (#10thadventures, #rmudeep, #vail, #backcountry). I wanted it really bad, but there were constant reminders that riders chasing this Unicorn are occasionally crushed to death by powerful EV avalanches - phenomenal skiers ... doing everything correctly to stay alive in this powder pit.
As we were riding out of the Back Bowl, I stared at the untouched 9" underneath us and suggested maybe we should make some in-bound turns. My partner in shred refuted that idea immediately and onward and upward we went. The hike up to 11,816' took longer than I expected. I was sweating bullets in a blinding blizzard. In my mind, we would hike to the top and make a decision about dropping in. However, there were no conversations about turning around or dropping in. We weren't turning back at this point, we never were.
Poised at the top of the initial drop in, I felt sick. Intense Research resulted in FATMAP EV images revealing the avalanche terrain. Riding 30+ degree slopes in-bounds can never prepare you for unmanned backcountry conditions. I was geared up at the top and ready to move quickly with my eyes glued on The Snowboarder as she dropped in. All I could see from my perspective was powder exploding like tiny bombs with each rhythmic turn - I couldn't even see the top of her helmet. Later, we joked about it ... because for the first time in her life she was trapped in the White Room (she actually thought she was in an avalanche). It was deep - crazy deep.
Tracks began to funnel and we spit out in East Vail at the bus stop. It felt like we stepped back through the Narnian-like Wardrobe that linked the magical world of EV back to Earth. Permagrins (lightheadedness, blurred vision, temporary speech impediment, carelessness) smashed on our faces ... already dreaming about the next big thing ... a Vendetta's Snow Pig/Ray Jay's (made especially for our crAzy "HOLYF*&^!@#SHIT" Smith goggled, pie holes).
