February 17th, 2016

I felt like lying down by the side of the trail and remembering it all. The woods do that to you, they always look familiar, long lost, like the face of a long-dead relative, like an old dream, like a piece of forgotten song drifting across the water, most of all like golden eternities of past childhood or past manhood and all the living and the dying and the heartbreak that went on a million years ago and the clouds as they pass overhead seem to testify (by their own lonesome familiarity) to this feeling. Kerouac

Morning y'all,

It's a beautiful, snowy morning up top. The high yesterday reached 29 degrees. The overnight low was 19 degrees. It was 19 degrees and cloudy at 7am observation. The mountain received 4 inches of new snow yesterday, bringing our snowfall total to 9 inches. I would recommend full winter gear if you intend to reach the summit. As of this posting, US 441 is closed. I'd allow between 4-6 hours to get up Rainbow or Bullhead in these conditions. If you intend to reach your car by dark, I'd be sure to leave the summit by 3pm. Get out and enjoy snow before it melts over the coming days!

I went for a short run yesterday evening to get out and feel the storm. The snow was marvelous, allowing for great traction and a sense of renewal on these trails I've done hundreds of times. I was hoping to run into a fox or bobcat on their evening rounds, but they're still too clever for me. The wind was a battering ram at Cliff Tops and the flurries were flying towards me from all directions at the precipice. I wandered back slow, ducking below the snow-laden trees, laughing myself breathless and enchanted.