How Much is Too Much?

The day is glorious.  The temperature was above freezing, at least after a chilly start.  We started the day at 12 degrees.  I drove around town doing errands, and for the first time in months, I didn't need to be using my 4-wheel drive.  The intersections are still ice packs, but they are shrinking.  Almost like miniature versions of shrinking ice packs from global warming. 

Our global warming is directly related to the increased amounts of sunshine we are experiencing.  We currently have over 10 hours of sunlight a day.  Compare that to December when we were lucky to experience half that.  And in December the days were gray and cloudy.  Now we have days like today where the sun shines and the sky is a beautiful blue.


But just because the sun is out, it doesn't mean the snow is gone.  Our official snow total is 129 inches.  We are 3.3 inches away from breaking the 60 yr old record for snowfall.  I would say that most of us are done with snow, but we are rooting for that additional snowfall so we can smash that record.  Since it is all ready mid-March, it better hurry up and get here!

So, just does that much snow look like and what does it do to a community?

Winter still holds the landscape captive

I can't take credit for this photo - but it is what it looks like.  A moose on a roof.  He used a snow bank as a ramp.

For us in our house, it looks something like this...

The view down the street after a recent snowfall

This is actually an inlet on our little lake.  There are 5 float planes on this little inlet and every house appears to have a dock.

I drove home one day wondering "what the heck is that?"

A diehard - that's what

We received so much snow and had so much on the roof, that even though the temperature was below freezing, our windows started to leak

improvised collection system

 

 

 

 

That's about a foot of ice on the roof

After the big scrape we were left with about 4 feet of ice in front of the house. My neighbor has been shoveling her roof too.

I am not looking forward to spring thaw.

We called the landlord who had some folks come out and shovel the roof.  It took care of the ice load on the house, but when the snow starts to melt, it's all going to wind up in the crawlspace.  That's about 4 feet of ice and snow right at the foot of the house.  There have been about 15 roofs that have collapsed in town, so I suppose this is better than the alternative.

Earlier this winter, Cordova, Alaska made headlines with it's record snow.  Steve's company manages some property there and he passed these pictures to me.  The buckling walls are from the weight of the snow.

A town buried

It certainly does look like the Wrong Way to go

Up on the Roof

This is no back road. This is the highway.

Tonight I took the dogs for a walk after dinner.  At 6 PM, it is still dazzling light and bright out.  We walked out onto the lake.   As I walk I look at the tracks on the ground, mostly there are shoes and boots, lots of dogs, and the occasional moose track that even I can discern. Although it is about 30 degrees out, the snow, in most places, still crunches when I walk.  In areas where the sun has softened it, I sink in where I step. Not much, just about an inch, or two at the most.  The dogs are able to walk on the crust without sinking.  I did this same walk a few weeks ago, before daylight savings went into effect.  That time it was about 7 PM and the sky was dark all ready.  Because it was still cloudy, the sky appeared backlit, but at the edges you could see where the darkness was gathering and getting ready to take over the whole sky.  I decided to follow the trail left by the cross-county skiers and snowmobilers.  I chose to follow a path that cut the lake in two, and half-way across the lake I found myself in snow up to my knees.  I was still on the path, but the snow here was apparently not packed enough to hold a person walking.  I wasn't concerned about going through the ice.  It doesn't go from -20 to meltdown in a few days, so I figured the ice was safe.  I was more concerned about getting stuck and floundering in the snow.  No one really knew where I was. I figured my only saving grace was the red flashers attached to the dogs leashes.  If I got stuck, maybe someone would come and investigate the strange flashing lights.  But, I managed to backtrack my way and Rosey, Riley and I made it home without any further incident.

As we walked along the lake today, I avoided the middle.  I figured that after a few days of sunshine, the crust would be even less stable.  Instead, I followed the path along the perimeter, with my boots sinking slightly. It's hard to walk uneven like that.  It's tough to get a good stride going, and your balance is off.  I find myself using different muscles that I don't usually use when I walk.  All of this made me think of another event that just finished up - the Last Great Race on Earth - The Iditarod.  This years Iditarod was won by a rookie, and he held onto first place only by an hour.  He displace Ally Zirkle, the woman who held the lead for most of the race.  And although he officially won on the 13th of this month, there are still two racers out on the trail.  This year there were fathers competing against sons, and even twin sisters out on the trail.  While the Iditarod gets a mention on the National News, it is big news here.  Live broadcasts, updates on the trail, and if you check out the website you can see where there are videos from the trail you can view.

My point is, that I don't think that my dogs and I have much to complain about, walking through a little unpacked snow, when those mushers and their teams are out in the elements breaking through all sorts of snow.  My hat is off to the teams - at least virtually because I still need to wear my hat to keep my ears warm when I am outside.

Until next week!