The winter season is now winding down, and with that comes some of the most interesting events of the whole season.
Over the past two weeks we have had the best snowfall of the whole season. In some places, at least two feet of snow fell. On the other hand, the road conditions have become so bad that they have decided to plow the road from West Yellowstone to Old Faithful. With only two weeks left you have to pray for great snow conditions with which to finish the season. Decisions to plow and warm fronts make me wonder if we will make it all the way to the end.
The snow that fell before the recent warm spell was great. It really felt like winter at its best had truly found its way to Old Faithful. For a few straight days not a moment could be spent outside without seeing snow. With the extra snow came better skiing conditions and more joyous winter attitudes. For me, the best was when I had to ski to work at 6:30 in the morning. With the days getting longer, the sun has begun to rise early and it gives the snow a spectacular blue glow. I can’t remember having seen something as surreal from nature as that.
As I mentioned, though, even with the great snow and the wonderful sightseeing it provides, the conditions of the roads between Old Faithful and West Yellowstone have deteriorated considerably. Many people have come in with stories about miles and miles of moguls and bare road. Some people are even complaining that have had to waste at least one day of their trip recuperating from their snowmobile ride. So, with the plowing of the road on Sunday brings the common summer sight of busses back to Old Faithful. Guests coming from Mammoth will transfer to busses at Madison. Snowmobiles will only be allowed to enter and exit the Old Faithful to the East toward the Lake. This move wont be too much of an inconvenience with only two weeks left in the season, but it will be interesting.
It is hard to believe that a whole winter has already gone by. To be able to spend this season here in the park was incredible to me. It is amazing how the snow and cold temperatures give the park an entirely different feel. I would have to say that this experience will prevent me from seeing it in the same way again. This is not a bad thing, but a special thing that I think I could only have found by working a winter here.
