A day in the snow

Well, as is now tradition, we headed up to the snow at Mt. Shasta for the day after Christmas. Only this time around it was a very different story - it was COLD!! Super cold. AND we had a wind. It wasn't a super strong wind, but when you are wearing fall clothes and don't have proper boots, several feet of loose snow and a gusting breeze blowing across your face at twenty something degrees leads to a rough time enjoying the great outdoors!

Our seasoned pros took their rain boots and pair of summer socks and traipsed up the hill. Fifteen minutes later, we were in the car, crying because their feet were too cold. Sure enough, when I got their boots off, they had snow packed around their feet. I told them we were just reducing the swelling around their ankles but it didn't seem to help. Before you wonder what I was thinking bringing them up here with inadequate clothing, kindly remember that we drove to see this snow.  :-)  Praise God!!  Where we live, we just do not get weather like this so there is no reason to have the proper clothing for growing girls. Our solution was to bring multiple changes of multiple layers, hoping to just keep changing them out so they would stay warm enough for a few hours in the snow. With a few modifications, it worked.

SO, while they warmed up in the car, I got them their first change of clothes, and the rest of the crew made a sledding run. After they warmed up, we carried them through the deepest snow to the run the others had packed down. Finally, they had a blast sledding down the hill!

And "helping" the trees by getting all that cold snow off their branches.

That white shimmering thing is the mountain - so refreshing to see snow and know that means there has been some water recently!

About the time we were done, it turned into one heck of a beautiful day! The trees were spectacular!

Yes, the boots turned into slippers in the car. :-)

As we descended the mountain, we stopped in places where we might be able to build a snowman (the snow at the top was too dry)...and a snowball fight broke out...clearly my children have a little to learn. :-)

We made it all the way back down to the town of Mt Shasta before we found snow that would make a snowman, but make a snowman we did!

Well, some of us did...the girls and I may have been having a sledding competition while the others made the snowman...Yes, I went the furthest. Thank you.

Oh yeah, there is just a little bit of snow up there...this is the side of the road...and it's not the highest slice we found, but my hubby won't stop on the side of a narrow, ice covered road so I can take a picture. Weird. :-) Anyway, yes, I have real snow pants. I bought them this year for mucking in the early mornings. So, I was warm everywhere except my toes - I only have mucking/rain boots for those.

I digress. Back to the sledding. Em won for style points.

And so, from the snowy land just north of here, we say 'Adieu'! God Bless! And a Happy New Year!!