Utah Snow
October 5, 1998
First snow of the year! The crunch, crunch, crunch sound of our boots on the crusty snow covering the mountain trail actually sounded good. We were hiking in the Cache National Forest up above Tony Grove Lake along the Great Western Trail. This forest is located in the Wasatch Range, northeast of Salt Lake City and east of Logan, Utah. A light snow was falling.
When the window shades of the motorhome were opened this Sunday morning, the first rays of the sun were beginning to strike the tips of the snow-covered peaks west of our campground in Logan. The snow line was about 7000 feet, so there was no snow to cover the spectacular golden, pink and red colored leaves of the box elders (mountain maples) below the snow line. The bright, white snow on the mountain tops was tinted a slight pink by the early morning sun. On the Cache Valley floor near Logan, where our campground is located, we have experienced rain off and on for a few days. This same rain produced the snow that we were seeing on the mountains. We were comfortable and cozy with full hookups (water, electricity, and sewage) which also include an overnight telephone hookup. Finding a local AOL phone number, we obtained our email, searched the web and caught up on some housework, reading and other stuff that often receive a lower priority than hiking and such. But enough of this “work” stuff -- the snow in the mountains was irresistible.
Although several inches of snow had fallen in the mountains, we resisted the temptation to take the cross-country skis and decided that a hike in the snow would be a nice change. As we drove up Logan Canyon, patches of sunlight broke through the dark clouds, highlighting the exceptional color of the box elders in full autumnal color. A local visitor’s guide claimed that this drive up Logan Canyon, across Bear Lake summit and down into the Bear Lake area is one of the ten prettiest, fall color drives in the United States. The receptionist at the Logan Visitors Center claimed that the colors this fall are even more beautiful than usual. Because the sides of the mountains and canyons are often covered with dense stands of box elders, there are extensive areas of bright, colored leaves so that in some places, the whole side of a canyon shows the various hues of autumn colors. The local Chamber of Commerce would have been pleased to hear our “oohs, aahs,” and “wows.”
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| Bear Lake Country |
Logan, Utah may be one of the best-kept secrets in the United States. When I first visited here about 20 years ago, my first impression was very favorable. The fields, crops, pastures, and homes located on the floor of this tranquil valley were surrounded on the east, west, and south by picturesque mountains. I visited with some of my colleagues at Utah State University, then drove back to Salt Lake City in one day. Upon leaving, my final thought was that although the scenery was very nice, the people very friendly, and there was abundant evidence this was a very civilized, cultured, educational center, the winters might be too cold for my Texas-thinned blood. Now, after having spent the summer in Canada, Montana, and Idaho, contemplating the rigors of their winters, northern Utah somehow seems much closer to the tropics. With the Great Salt Lake nearby to modify the winter climate, maybe the winter here would not be so bad. Canadians or Alaskans moving here might think the winter weather somewhat balmy in comparison to their own. Summers here would certainly be more pleasant than the hot, sticky climate of a central Texas summer. The ski resorts in the area claim that the fluffy, dry snow here is the best in the world for skiing. Not being a snow expert, I am in no position to dispute their claim.
The snow through which we were hiking was not very dry. The ground was not yet frozen, the air temperature was barely freezing and much of the snow was slushy. We decided to hike a couple of hours. The cold winds in snow showers drove the snow horizontally under the brims of our hats and into our eyes. Then the showers passed, the winds died, and large, soft flakes began to fall nearly vertically. The animal tracks in the snow were big enough to be and might have been, elk -- until we saw a cow and calf on the trail ahead. The trail brochure instructed us to watch for “long-legged” moose in and around Tony Grove Lake. We looked, saw none and wondered if there might be such a thing as a short-legged moose. Good thing we did not bring the cross-country skis – the snow around the lake was only two or three inches deep except for drifts. As the trail wound up the mountain through the aspen and firs, the snow began to fall harder. We could see the partially snow-covered tracks left by previous hikers and the trail was fairly easy to follow. In the thin air at 8000+ feet and from the exertion of climbing up a steep trail, we were soon unzipping our jackets to let in some natural air conditioning. As we hiked through a broad, mountain meadow, the blowing snow covered and hid the trail. We began to sink in the snow drifts that reached the top of our hiking boots. We were forced to guess the location of the trail until we found it again as it entered the trees on the other side of the meadow. After another steep climb, we looked at our watches, decided it was time to turn around, ate ½ onion bagel each, and while standing in the shelter of a clump of large fir trees, watched the snow swirl and drift across the valley below. We were warm from the climb, a little exhilarated from the views and our pulses were beating. Knowing that the snow was wet, we dared not sit in it in our blue jeans to rest. We returned back down the trail, looking for bird tracks in the snow. Found no sage grouse to add to our bird list -- they are fairly rare.
As we approached the parking lot where our car was parked, a particularly heavy snow shower began to fall and the wind picked up again. Removing our jackets, we shook off the snow, opened the car door and jumped in quickly to avoid becoming covered with snow again. Convinced that if we opened both doors simultaneously, snow would blow in one door and out the other, we opened the doors one at a time. As we drove back down the canyon, the snow gradually changed to rain, which continued to fall till we were “home.” We spent much of the afternoon watching the weather show outside the windows of our motorhome. Heavy, dark clouds entered the Cache Valley from the northwest and obscured our view of the mountains to the west, while the sun shone on the mountains to the east. As the clouds passed over us in the valley, rain fell for a few minutes until the sun broke through and a giant rainbow appeared east over the campground. Now we could clearly see the mountains to the west, but the rain obscured our view of the mountains to the east. Over a period of three days, we have watched several of these weather systems pass through the valley. The snow continues to accumulate on the mountains, but our escape route through the mountain passes remain open. We are somewhat in awe of this Rocky Mountain weather and have a greater appreciation of the need to be prepared to rapid changes in the wind, cold and snow. The drama of stormy weather in the mountains is very entertaining, but also a little intimidating. Maybe one, early, cold storm is enough winter for us – guess we will head south shortly.
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