Journeys›Photograph

Clear Skies and a Late February Snowstorm

·California, United States·#winter#california#tahoe#skiing#snow
A winter scene with a ski lift station and "SUMMIT" sign, mountains covered in snow and trees under a clear blue sky.

A pretty typical late February weekend at home. Saturday and Sunday were beautiful, with the kind of deep blue sky you only get at this altitude. We spent the days up on the mountain, lapping runs under the sun. From the summit, you could see the whole lake, so still and reflective under a low band of clouds on the far side. The snow was holding up well, and it was just good to be outside.

The weather shifted on Monday. The sky turned a flat, uniform gray and the temperature dropped. The lifts, which had been busy, were suddenly quiet and empty as the clouds rolled in, obscuring the views we'd had just the day before. You could feel the change in the air.

Soon enough, the snow started. It came down thick and fast, blanketing the trees and muffling all the sound. Everything just goes quiet during a heavy snowfall. While looking out, I spotted a hawk perched on a thick pine branch, just sitting patiently as the flakes collected on its back. A quiet end to the stretch of days.

A wide snowy ski slope overlooks a large lake surrounded by mountains and a clear blue sky.A groomed ski slope overlooks a vast lake with distant mountains partially obscured by low clouds under a blue sky.Snowy mountains with pine trees overlook a large lake and distant mountains partially covered by clouds under a blue sky.Multiple empty ski lift chairs move over a snowy slope lined with evergreen and bare trees.A hawk sits on a snow-covered pine tree branch amidst a snowy forest during a snowfall.A bird perches on a snow-covered branch in a snowy forest during a snowfall.

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