"You don't have to shovel it."
Back in 2002, Dee thought I might have trouble with the constantly-overcast skies during the winter. I haven't. There are these times during the day that we call "sun breaks". The rain stops for a bit and the sun shines through breaks in the clouds. Then it rains or showers or rain-showers or pours (rare).
It's been in the 40's here in the valley for quite some time and when it's raining, 40 can be bone-chilling. It has to do with a penetrating feeling that the humidity and temp and wind
combine for. It also might have to do with this body nudging half a century (less than a month a way). Man, that's weird to even think about...back to 40's.
When it's 40-something down here in the valley, it's 30-something up on the mountains. When the clouds clear, we get to see bright mountain tops which beckon us to come visit the fluffy white stuff.
It used to be skiing, the cross country variety, that drew us to the trails. Now it's snowshoeing. It's a bit slower, but safer, and it's more suited for ungroomed and tracked trails. The equipment is much lighter nowadays.
Gone are the heavy straps and wooden frames. Strong flexible rubber-like straps and titanium, aluminum (or something-um) frames make them easy to use as you sink a bit in fluffy white-stuff billowed in the forest. And when you get to gaze at the frosted trees in a clearing you find out why the nearly two hour drive is worth every minute.
So cold rain in the valley means a Saturday spent at a SnoPark in the Cascades where near the end of the morning's jaunt the white patches start appearing along the roadside at about 2500 feet. By the time you get up to 4000 feet, there are walls of plowed snow and ice five feet high. This, of course, will grow to 10+ feet soon. At the end of the day, it's a bit strange to come down and see only green trees and wet forest floor along the highway. At home, the roads might be dry and the snow shovel securely hanging on the garage. Unless we took it along up with us. Then it get's put back on the hook.
We don't shovel snow here. We visit it.
