Finally it’s March. In a typical year here in Colorado that would mean the summer season in Rocky Mountain National Park was closing in. The mood and anticipation of warmer weather, alpine lakes and wildflowers is tangible. This year as we enter March, after a historically warm and dry winter one is hoping the months of March and April can turn back the clock to winter and perhaps wallop us with a few classic Front Range spring blizzards to help make up for the loss of winter and more importantly the moisture and snowpack we always need before the warm summer season.
It’s snowing today as I post this blog in RMNP so that’s a good sign but we still have a long way to go even to get to sustainable levels. Summer in Rocky is my favorite season but if we continue to move towards summer with the season being as dry as it has been there will be a noticeable tension with the park and forests so dry.
It’s been a strange experience photographing Rocky this winter. Streams that are usually frozen are flowing and free of ice, grasses and landscapes usually buried under feet of snow exposed and open to the elements. It’s created some unique opportunities for photography this winter in Rocky but it’s not something any of us would welcome.
I feel like I keep writing the same thing in all these blog posts. We need winter and we need moisture in the park. With todays weather system hitting the park, lets hope this is the start of some good spring moisture, With any luck, maybe I’ll be complaining that they are taking too long to open Trail Ridge Road for the season in May due to all the spring snow.