Hesselblogger: So Much Snow

A couple weeks ago Pamela and I went up to her family’s cabin in Forest Lakes. We were hoping to head up there and be joined by some friends for a fun weekend in the wilderness. We were also excited to see that the weather forecast for the weekend called for snow. It snowed the weekend we went to the cabin last year and it was a lot of fun. It’s seems extra special because we never get to see snow living in Phoenix.

Lots of snow already on our drive up

Pamela and I had off work Friday and drove up with Jordan. Our other friends couldn’t swing a Friday trip but we still decided it would be fun to hang out at the cabin for 2 days. Soon after leaving Payson we were excited to start seeing all the snow that had already fallen in the area. There were so many nice views of snow covered pine trees along the drive. I was so excited to see the snow I just kept snapping pictures.

It's everywhere!

As we climbed in elevation we noticed the temperature kept dropping and there was more and more snow all around. Arriving at Forest Lakes we were in for a little bit of a rude awakening. Although the freeway was freshly plowed and fairly dry from all the traffic, the neighborhood street up to the cabin had plenty of snow left. Not to worry though, we just proceeded slowly and lucky for us the cabin is only a short distance in from the main highway.

Then came our second realization about large amounts of snowfall. The hundred foot driveway that sets the cabin back nicely from the road was covered in 6-8 inches of snow with a huge mound right at the front from where the plows cleared the road. This was a little unexpected but that’s why we came to the cabin, for some adventure. I opened the shed looking for something to clear the snow and found a broken snow shovel and a rake. It was less than ideal, but between the scoop part of the snow shovel and the rake, Pamela and I were able to start clearing a path. After maybe 45 minutes we had cleared enough driveway to fit our car and 2 more for our friends behind it. Now it was time to unpack and finally start relaxing and enjoy the cabin.

Good enough, now time to start having fun.

Snow angel! Good work Pamela

Once we started a fire and figured out the heaters it was smooth sailing. We had a pleasant evening filled with hot cocoa, smores, and a Christmas movie. The next morning it was time for snow reality check number three. We greatly underestimated how much snow would be falling this weekend. We woke up to find the amount of snow outside had doubled. Another 6-8 inches of fresh powder had fallen overnight and was still coming down. Luckily we had good cell reception at the cabin and could warn our friends. We caught Kim as she was visiting the store before heading up herself.

Seriously? Guess we have to clear the driveway again

Day 1 - Looking out the back porch

Day 2 - Looking out back, notice the railing is nowhere to be seen

Sorry Jordan you can't go out that way, it's blocked by snow!

After deliberating for a while and checking the weather forecast on our phones we decided our 2 day retreat to the cabin was turning into an escape plan. We would clean up the cabin and wait for the snowplow to come by to give us the clearest path back to the freeway. We brushed the snow from the car and re-dug the driveway back to the main road so we were all ready. Then at about 1:00 Pamela heard the plow drive by and it was time to make our move. He hadn’t improved the road as much as we hoped but as the snow started to intensify we knew this would be our best shot at getting home before getting stuck at the cabin.

When the wind picked up it looked like we were inside a snow globe

As we slowly made our way back to the freeway, skidding and sliding, we both lamented not having the all-wheel drive Forester anymore. It was a little scary but once we made it back to the freeway we were alright. The 260 was much more cleanly plowed and the decent flow of traffic kept much of the snow and ice from accumulating in the lanes. I snapped a few more pictures of the snow coated trees along the road. All that snow was inconvenient but also very beautiful.