schh noooo!!!!!!

in tucson. not just in the upper reaches of the mountains. that was deposited after friday's rains.

snow in the valley! almost an inch, at least here at my complex. a mega snowperson was erected in the nearest courtyard to my 'pad'. i will try to take a pic tomorrow AM. it is a formless snowperson. no arms, no eyes, ears, nose, legs, NADA. just the three segmented body.

snow in the valley. i never thought i would see that here. my fifth winter here, and i actually get to see, drive in, and play in the snow. last i saw, the snow advisory is in effect till 5:00 PM, monday afternoon! funny thing, i heard on the radio that this week was supposed to have highs in the mid to high 70's. i heard about a weekend storms, but this??? it is so sweet. saguaros, barrel cactus, palm trees, everything is covered with snow! holy crap.

so, where was i today when this happened? in the rincon mountains of course. hiking up the douglass spring trail to douglass camp 6.0 miles from the trailhead parking lot. i felt a few sprinkles at only about 2 miles in. about 1/2 mile later, i saw the first flakes afallin. it looked like it was going to increase, but as i headed on, it failed to follow me. i get to the camp, not one more flake. about 1.0 mile back the clouds were descending. about another 1/2 mile later, it was on! there was a period where i was walking amongst the clouds. big, heavy flakes flying in my face. luckily, like a good boy scout i once was, i was prepared. i did NOT have a poncho, so i did get wet, but i was so layered, it did not matter. i had my bandanna pulled over my face cowboy-style. i had my stocking cap on and my cavs hoodie pulled tight against my face kenny-style. the whole way back (approximately 4-1/2 miles) i trodded on. it was somewhat freaky. i could not see much, and the limited visibility made things look very unfamiliar. it wasn't until i saw the sign posted at 2-1/2 miles from the parking lot that i was assured i was on the right path. i will post a few snowy pics here. the rest will be posted in my hiking blog tomorrow or sometime later in the week. ok, apparantly, if u want to download pics, u have to do it before writing text. so everyone will have to wait, as it is almost 12:30. till later... :)