The winter that wasn’t…
It’s January 24th and the ground is not only bare of snow but spongy-soft, completely thawed and saturated. I haven’t had to shovel our driveway yet this year. This all would be pretty normal if I lived in Seattle, but this is Haines, Alaska, the same town that received over 300″ inches of snow for two straight years in recent memory. That’s not to say we haven’t experienced record-breaking precipitation this year, because we have. It just has come in liquid form, often as if a water main ruptured in the sky.
My skis keep anxiously eyeballing me from the corner near the door to see if I’ll take them out. The biggest adjustment to the lack of snow is how incredibly dark it is. We don’t get a huge amount of light this time of year anyway, but without the white reflective coating on the ground it is pitch black. Vertigo dark. If it weren’t for the glowing clock on the microwave in the kitchen I think I’d get lost in my own house after turning off the lights for the night.
With the exception of THIS GUY, we’re still hopeful. There’s plenty of winter left and the constant deluges at sea level have got be spackling the higher elevations with pow. Heliski season starts in the coming weeks and Drake will have the ski plane ready to go on clear days. Even if we look like moles emerging from drowned holes, we’ll strap on goggles and a smile and keep you posted.
