The rain poured in sheets at times during the Saturday afternoon drive from Jay Peak to the Schenectady Wintersports Club house in Waterbury Center. It was short-lived, however, for after reverting to a drizzle shortly after our arrival in Waterbury Center, the skies cleared after dark. <BR> <BR>Sunday dawned with hazy sunshine, and after wandering next door to the Cold Hollow Cider Mill for a breakfast of hot cider doughnuts we were booting up in the Mansfield base lodge by 8:45. <BR> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/3822.jpg" ALT="Lower Liftline"> <BR> <BR>Stowe was operating only the Forerunner Quad on this final day of their 2003-2004 ski and snowboard season, serving 25 open trails. Warmup run? We don't need no stinking warmup run! Straight down the seemingly endless bumps of Centerline and Hayride started off the day. Rich and I had to sidestep one bare, rocky spot on Centerline before finding an endless white ribbon for the rest of our route to the base. I was feeling the effects of our pounding of Jay the day before, and we followed up our first run with a high-speed cruise down Sunrise to North Slope. <BR> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/3823.jpg" ALT="upper mountain"> <BR> <BR>By this time we hooked up with friends Mike and Jim and proceeded to hit up what seemed like every upper mountain woods line and unreasonably "reserved" trail accessible from the quad. Bypass Woods, Partridge, National Woods, Hayride Glades, Goat, "Old Liftline"...we did them all. Cover did not seem as substantial or seamless as it did at Jay the day before, but it's tough to tell what effect the overnight rain had on this distinction. The snow was at times firm, at others sloppy and gluey, but at all times fun, fun, fun! <BR> <BR>As we paused at the Octagon for an outdoor BBQ on the deck, the clouds thickened. <BR> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/3824.jpg" ALT="view from the Octagon deck"> <BR> <BR>Two more runs later, my legs were no longer cooperating and I opted to call it a day. While this may mark the end of my Vermont season, I look back at it with no regrets. Today was a fine finish. Next weekend: backcountry in the Presidentials.