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Category Archives: winter

Winter to Spring and back to Winter again

March is a month that cannot make up its mind. Of course, there is still lots of snow on the ground at the start but warm days soon begin to shrink it. We go outside and see what shows up after the long winter. Birds return. Spring skiing is grand. Yesterday it was fifty degrees! Farenheit.

Today it is snowing and the wind is blowing. Visibility is lacking. Bare ground is once again covered and I need to go out and shovel snow. I wonder how many times we will go through this cycle before April gets here?

Last week we had spring skiing at its finest!

A large flock of Bohemian Waxwings hawked insects over the Methow River

Today is a different story

Today is a good day to stay inside with a cup of tea and update my website 

Still Winter

But Spring is just around the corner. Skiing conditions are highly variable but when they are good, they are very, very good. We still get intermittant snowfall but also warm temperatures are lessening the snowpack in the valley. More animals are moving about. My neighbor even claims to have seen a chipmunk already! Seems to early for them to be out and about.

 

Making first tracks on the Community Trail near Browns Farm

 

Big Valley, seen from the Community Trail

 

Lots of squirrels are enjoying the warm afternoons. This one is perched just above its burrow in the snow.

 

The Methow River from the Suspension Bridge

 

Winter still has a pretty good grip up in the Rendezvous area.

 I know, it looks like I have been playing a lot; however I’ve also been doing some serious work. You can see that at Reflected Light.

 

 

 

Late Winter

Still lots of snow on the ground and with cold nights it is firm enough to walk on. Some days it is slush. Luna and Sam and I have been out quite a bit recently and the dogs are finding lots of interesting smells. Most are from the deer and voles, I think. But you’d have to ask Luna and Sam to know for sure.

 

 Yarrow against the sparkling snow

 

A serviceberry leaf still clings to the stem.

 

I think this is a big buckwheat. Or maybe a lomatium. I’m pretty sure it’s a buckwheat. I’ll remember in a couple of months when it starts growing again.

 

I found this fresh looking pair of antlers under a pine tree. It seems early for sheds.

 

 

Another Day at the Town Trailhead

Seems like there are always interesting things to see around here.

 

Mojo’s person was playing hockey. Mojo thought everyone else who came by wanted to throw his slobbery pine cone.

 

One of the hockey players gets ready to go home. His bike tires have screws for studs.

 

Mojo was disappointed every time someone skied away from him.

 

The shuttle took lots of folks up to Mazama to ski the 30k back to town.

 

Mojo thinks that by the force of his will, he can make me pick up the icky pine cone and throw it for him.

 

 Ken and Luna wanted their picture made in the sign. Well, Ken wanted it – not so sure that Luna did.

 

This Week on the Community Trail

The freezing rain that coated the soft snow with a hard crust gave the trail groomers something good to work with. The ski trails had been soft and slow with all the new, cold, dry and powdery snow last week – good for classic skiing. The last couple days, they trails have been faster and more fun for skate skiing.

 

A thin layer of fog hugged the lowest trees as the sunlight climbed up the hillside

 

Ice coated everything, even the fence wire

Skate skiers

Great morning on the MVSTA Community Trail