Winter 09-10: What a Season!

We're still a few days away from the official beginning of spring (March 20), but here at the office we've already been opening all the doors during the day, and I'm sitting outside with my computer as often as I can. It's a beautiful time of year, as wildflowers are splashing the roadsides with color and fruit trees of all sorts have blanketed the orchards with pink, purple, and white blossoms. All of this is only possible, though, thanks to the wet winter we've had, so I want to take a moment to remember & share a highlight from it.

In the wintertime we operate from our office in the foothills. We're below snowline, but definitely got our share of rain this year! In between a couple of big January storms, we decided to take Hwy 180 through Grant Grove & on towards Kings Canyon. When we couldn't drive any farther (a gate blocks the un-maintained road during the winter) we pulled out the snowshoes (me) & cross-country skis (Steve) to enjoy an untouched winter version of the road we travel so often in the summer. It was so pristine & peaceful! We didn't get very far in drive-time terms, but for being on foot & going through snow, we were quite happy with our little trek, and the way back up gave us a satisfying workout.

My camera managed to pick up the nature sounds in this video, so turn the volume up if you want to hear them...



If you plan a winter trip, regardless of where you're going, be safe. Be prepared, be smart. Plan ahead, research the area, tell someone where you're going to be & when you should be back, wear appropriate clothing & bring the right gear, and always have more food & water than you think you'll need.

Boyden Cavern is located and permitted in the Sequoia National Forest. For some information about wintertime in our area, please refer to the following news release from the US Forest Service:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sequoia/news/releases/2010/02/gsnm-snow-play.html

We do recognize, though, that many of the people who visit Kings Canyon also spend time in the National Park areas. If you plan to be in the Park, see:
http://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/pvwinter.htm

Winter precipitation results in more than serene snowy landscapes...
...more on that later!

~Michal Lisa~