THE LONGEST MUD SEASON

This has been a long mud season.

Mud season, or shoulder season, is the in-between time where you can’t really do your favorite outdoor activities. These conditions are exaggerated in mountain towns.

Boreas Campers got its start in Breckenridge, where shoulder season begins around May and goes through the first week or 2 of June. That’s the time of year when snow is melting and the resort is closed so you can’t get consistently good conditions on the slopes, but the trails for hiking and mountain biking are still too snow packed or wet to enjoy. Aka mud season. Similarly, the fall mud season starts around November when precipitation isn’t the white fluffy stuff yet, but there’s not enough sun to keep the trails dried out.

Mountain employees often take this time to flock to the desert for a weeks-long camping trip where the snow has already dissipated. Or they head to their next seasonal gig fishing in Alaska or teaching SCUBA lessons in the Keys.

But during the COVID pandemic those escapes aren’t in the best interest of the public, and it looks like we’ll be hunkering down for another week here in Colorado.

The silver lining of mud season is that it is a chance to celebrate the change of the seasons. You’re not going to be ripping through powder fields anytime soon, but chances are if you worked on the mountain you’re ok with hanging up your stinky boots for a little bit. And taking a break from one of your favorite activities is a sure way to make you appreciate it more when you’re able to get back at it.

So here’s hoping you are safe and healthy during the longest mud season we’ve ever known, and that we will all have a bigger appreciation for our favorite outdoor activities once we can get back.

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