Hike Mt. Shasta

Mount Shasta, fresh from a January winter storm.

Our first real taste of winter snow finally arrived. Depending on where you gauge, the storm dropped anywhere from 2-4 inches in the populated areas. At my house, we got closer to four inches. This is an important benchmark for a couple or reasons. Not only does it, after much delay, mark the onset of winter in all of its necessary forms but it also sets a snow measurement standard. More specifically, the really bad drought winters of 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 yielded little more than what this storm has given us. Consequently, if any more snow falls this winter, it will be an improvement over those wretched years.

Winter finally come to my backyard (click to enlarge):

My backyard Sunday afternoon and on Monday morning, after a snowy night.

Of course, here at the Hike Mt Shasta household, the kids kicked the snow play into high gear and got out early this morning. This year was the first time they were old enough to get out and shovel the walkways off themselves. Thank goodness for that! I also had a chance to get my new drone out and test it out for the first time in winter conditions. The camera is not a super high quality and I am still getting the hang of the thing, but I hope to add some interesting drone footage to Hike Mt Shasta once I get it out on the trail.

My backyard on a snowy morning, from several hundred feet up.

The storm was not a major snow event, but it broke the ice as far as waiting for the white stuff goes, no pun intended. With February and March yet to go, we still have the potential for some really significant weather. Of course, access to the higher trails on both Mount Shasta and in the Trinity Divide is definitely much harder now and those of us looking to get out and hike are limited to the lower trails. Read about those in my 2018 Winter Hiking Round Up. Fortunately, we are blessed with numerous great options and have much to enjoy, even during winter!