Winter in the Mountains

Not long after the big snow storm dumped two feet of snow on us here in the Pittsburgh area, followed by two more storms that deposited several more inches of the white stuff on top of the original blanket, we started wondering how our camper in Confluence was faring.

Confluence is nestled in a deep valley within the Laurel Highlands, which notoriously gets hit with twice as much snow as we do. Reports of four, five, even six feet of snow in the mountains was followed with reports of building collapses. Heck, we had buildings collapsing around here without all that additional snow.

Hubby’s concern gradually grew into a full-out panic and the decision was made to drive down there and see if the camper was intact or smashed like a tin can in a trash compactor.

I was up for an adventure and Sunday morning, we loaded up the old Chevy pickup and headed out.

Camping kitty Skye had to stay home, much to her chagrin.

The further we drove, the deeper the snow. And the bigger the icicles. It was pretty awesome. Of course I took my camera. This is a shot taken from the moving truck with the window open (BRISK!) of the mountains as we approached “the Summit” just beyond Uniontown.

We arrived a little after noon and managed to pull off the road just far enough so that vehicles could get around. There was no parking and the road into the campground wasn’t plowed, since it’s closed for the season.

I’d never used snowshoes before, so I expected to spend considerable time sitting in the snow or diving nose first into it. Here’s a shot of my new footwear.

They’re called “bear paw” snowshoes since they’re smaller than Hubby’s pair. Here he is strapping them on.


Don’t I make a striking figure?


Loaded with ladders and shovels and assorted snow removal tools, we began the hike into the campground.


There was a lot of snow.


Everywhere.

Including on top of our little camper.



By way of comparison, here are some then (last June) shots of our second home and some now shots.

The playground right across the road from our camper then:

And now:

The road through camp then:

And now:

Our camp then:

And now:

And just one more from last summer for the heck of it:

(Sigh)

My tracks in the snow.

I nearly got stuck while taking this picture because I made the mistake of getting down on my knees and my toes slipped down through the webbing of the shoes and I couldn’t get up. Note to self: DON’T DO THAT AGAIN! But I finally managed to get up.

I wasn’t the only one who made a dumb move. Hubby later tried to walk backward, but the tails of his shoes got stuck in the snow and threw him onto his back. Unfortunately, I’d put the camera back in the truck by then and didn’t get it recorded for posterity. Think of a turtle on its back with its arms and legs flailing. After I determined he wasn’t hurt, I had a good laugh over it.

Once we were done, we took a drive up to the Yough dam which always offers a spectacular view.

So our camper seems to have survived the deep snow. Of course, it remains to be seen if the seams were damaged. We’ll only know that if leaks develop later.

I survived my snowshoe adventure, too. It was fun.

But I’d rather have green grass underfoot, sunshine overhead, and be on a bicycle. Come on spring!