Friday, March 25, 2011

Powerful Coastal Storms


We have been in the midst of some crazy storms throughout most of the month. In fact, the month of March has had measurable precipitation on all but two of its days so far! We are on schedule to double the average amount of precipitation for March.

Yesterday, I went for a couple of hikes in and around the town of Trinidad (just north of our house). The wind was blowing the rain horizontally at times and moments later it would be calm and sunny. Then, moments after this, the rain would be back. I was out for a couple of hours and had three powerful storm cells hit me, one of which had winds that could have flattened me if I wasn't prepared for it! Here are a few photos of the hike...
Many of the storms also contain hail. One of those storms recently turned the ground white with hail while we were in the midst of a walk through town. We hunkered down in the library and let it pass. When we returned home, we still found hail covering our back porch.


Friday, March 11, 2011

Snowshoeing at Donner Pass

In late February, while on my way home from work travels in the southern Californian desert, I drove through an incredibly snowy Donner Pass. I stopped at a trailhead sign for the Pacific Crest Trail. I remember walking through that area back in 1998 on a long backpacking trip. The place looked quite different though under heaps and heaps of snow. In fact, I was unable to actually find the trail! I snowshoed off through the forest and ridges and had a fantastic time in this winter wonderland.