Rain...Lots of It
January 8, 2009

Yesterday it rained...a lot. A warm front came in and replaced what would be snow, with rain. As it turned out, according to the West Glacier COOP weather station, we received 1.6" of rain yesterday, a new record for the most rain in any one day in January since 1949.

So what is it like around here? The snow is like heavy mashed potatoes, or a slurry concrete. It is hard to shovel and hard to walk through. We're also in a flood advisory; we have standing water on roads, and walkways, with a lot of ice beneath. It is pretty slippery. I have noticed that the deer are walking in the roads and on the sidewalks instead of their normal paths through the forests. They have to be feeling a bit stressed and burning a lot of calories in search of food.

It is supposed to cool off, and all the water will turn to ice. Snow is in the forecast too.

David Restivo

Taking a break in the sun.

Snowshoeing to the Oxbow
January 5, 2009

Saturday I decided to snowshoe down the bike path to the Oxbow, along Lower McDonald Creek. The temperature was around 20 degrees, give or take, and the snow blanketing the ground was complete powder, save a few inches of crusty base. If I were to give a rough guess, I would say that between Thursday and Friday, about 12-15 inches of snow fell.

My snowshoes sank to a depth of 18 inches (just under my knee) as I broke trail. I stayed on my original path that I originally broke, but when I veered off the path, I sank further just past my knee. Lifting up a 33 inch snowshoe loaded with snow is like having a shovel on your foot with about 2 pounds on snow on it. Needless to say, it was quite the workout, and I ended up going much slower than I wanted.

The sky was cobalt blue in color with a few contrasting white clouds, the sun was shining, the air was clean and crisp, and the forest was silent. Tree branches were weighted down with snow, bending in awkward positions. I didn’t see any wildlife, though the way I was floundering in the snow, I probably looked like easy prey to a mountain lion. I made it to the Oxbow and was pretty tired. I stopped for a bit and stood in the sun and gazed at Apgar Mountain.  I didn’t stand there too long as the chilly air started to creep into me. I decided to head on back.

After I returned, Jennifer Thelen, our Intern, told me that she just saw a mountain lion bounding away into the forest. That would have been a sight to see as I still have not seen one. But, like I said, the way I was floundering around in the snow, maybe I’m glad I didn’t see it.

Getting Pummeled
January 2, 2009

Happy New Year! In Glacier, depending on your feeling about snow, this is either a Happy New Year, or it is a miserable start. The park is currently getting pummeled by snow. Walking to work this morning, I could barely see where I was going; the snow was falling fast, and it was breezy. I can’t imagine what my colleagues who drive to work were experiencing on the road. When I arrived to work, someone from our Road Crew was busy cleaning out the parking lot and roads. They work hard, very hard, keeping park roads and parking lots clean for employees and visitors.

While this snow is a welcome site in the New Year for those who sled, ski, snowshoe, and build snowmen, it may not be such a welcome site if you have to drive or shovel.