HikeArizona.COM

The endless chatter of weather.

We had some freezing rain this morning, followed by snow. The snow is very wet. Right now, looking out the window of the library, it looks like we're inside of one of those snow globes!

The ground is snow-covered again, and all is right with the world.

Snowball reports 46 inches of new snow. Best of all, it started out dense and turned light, so the back country should be good.

Avalanche warnings in the back country is at least that is what the news has been reporting for Snowbowl...

Yes, and they were reporting that days ago, and just as the original press release stated from several days ago, risk is greatest during and right after a storm. Also, just as I responded, the Dutchman Route does not cross terrain prone to avalanches and is very low risk, near zero. Skiers are the primary risk group when they ski chutes and basins that are slide prone. Kaptain Safety over at the Kachina Peaks site, he reported that Snowbowl was unable to produce controlled slides with explosives, several days ago.

I'll add, there have been several slides on the Peaks since I started hiking them in winter. All were either right after the storm when wind loaded slopes released (Allison Clay in early 2009, and Philomena Slide in January 2010), or from skiers such as on the NE slope of Fremont Peak a couple of winters ago, or some small slides in the upper cirque in '10 and '11. Keeping near the inner edge of a cornice, staying on ridges, in the trees, and on slopes that are not avalanche prone, is a safe bet. The Dutchman is considered a slide path, but there is no evidence of a recent slide. The trees are large and mature. Even in past past winters with deeper falls and "less stable packs", there were no slide in it. Stay in the trees if concerned. However, With it now the weekend, there is such a low risk that you have a many, many factor greater chance of being involved in a fatal car accident in the Valley or on I-17, than actually seeing a slide, let alone being caught in one, not only on the route, but in general. The 2011 skier in the slide on Fremont was skiing an avalanche path, but self extricated after the slide. I turned back in Colorado last winter when I saw I would need to cross a path with evidence of recent slides. No peak is worth the danger, to me, but that situation is not found on the posted route to Humphrey.

All that said, just as you wear a seat belt in your car, you should be mindful of the snow. A hiker is not a skier, and The Peaks are not big Wyoming or Utah mountains. Ignorant back country skiers who actively seek dangerous terrain for the purposes of traveling them are the primary target of those messages, despite the broadcast nature to all back country travelers. Why? How many times have there been AZ Daily Sun articles about some 19 Y/0 kid from Phoenix or wherever, who ignored the warning, went out of bounds, and something happened to him resulting in a rescue by SARS? More than I care to recall.

If need be, please examine or use the official GPS route for the Dutchman to Humphrey, and do not cross the Allison Clay or Philomena slide paths. The route does not approach either from below. You may see skier or evidence of them having skied those paths, as I usually did. That is, until the wind blew those paths clean or crusty.

It's blowing up a storm here today. Just wind, so far, and lots of it. A few scraggly clouds being blown to bits. Definitely a flag-shredder.

I'm stuck on the road by a flight cancellation for the second week in a row. It looks like the big storm that did it won't hit NJ as hard as originally predicted.

raining here a little in N Phx but only for 1/2 hr. around 3 AM so hike is probably still on. Some other folks I know may have another epic hike. Be safe out there.

"Never can sleep good before a hike it seems. Plus when I hear rain, I like to move my potted plants from the porches to where they can have nature's water."

Snowing in Eagar. It's that dry blowy kind you can broom off of the car.

Three inches of snow overnight ... four more expected ... Desert View Drive is already closed.

Even though it is sunny and mild, we have extreme winds. Kayenta like winds, and I can see the white sands of White Sands in the air to the north of me. I think I will skip Ortega Peak today. Not with 60 MPH gusts forecast. I've had that before. Sure am glad I got Organ Needle yesterday, it must be ridiculous over there today.

Most of AZ's higher areas and northern NM will pick up some snow from this storm. We will remain bone dry, so this is a nuisance low. It seems to be the first spring wind maker of the season, for here.

Had some rain overnight, but now it is sunny and kind of breezy.

Sun has come out in Eagar. And the snow is melting. I'm not a bit disappointed.

Very windy around 4am out in Gold Canyon and a light shower before sunrise. It snowed on Iron mtn and I also noted a dusting of snow on the ridge tops of the Mineral Mtns. Southeast of Florence Jct.

I'm actually surprised. It is either not as bad as I thought, or since I'm not getting sand blasted it doesn't seem too bad. The sky is white, and visibility is poor, but it is not at all like Kayenta. It just sounded like it this morning, but it occurs to me that the AC units on the roof are making a lot of noise that resembles the roof of where I live last spring. Lots of banging around. No ground level dust, but there is something in the air, either dust or moisture. It feels like it might be a very fine dust coming off the White Sands and playa areas. My hair is sticky, like salt is in it.

Huge snowfall at the south rim today - gotta be a foot since yesterday!

Snowbowl is reporting 36 inches from the storm.

I just got back from the Santa Ritas where there was 5 inches of "partly cloudy" on all the vehicles at the lodge. They closed Madera Canyon Road from Continental up due to icy/wintry conditions until early afternoon Saturday. It was lovely with all the snowfall.

We had 3.5 inches on Sat morning of snow and snow off and on all weekend.. woke up at 430 this morning and just started snowing again and by the time we left for work there was 2.5 inches on the ground (new already)..didn't get over 37 this weekend...

snow on the McDowells including Thompson Peak and a couple of the lower peaks...I was shocked to see that as I made the turn to the west around 2:45PM. Clouds had been enveloping the McDowells most of the morning.