again be able to stomp my way through soft powder amongst the lofty forested highlands of Mt. St. Helens. The long time bereft of snow made me realize how much I had taken it for granted in years past. Not only did I miss the soft, cold silence it brings in winter, but also the flowers that rise from the melting drifts come summer. It sustains the glaciers, nourishes the rivers, and quells the firestorms that rise in the heady heat of august. I, for one, will never take the miserable weather of a traditional Pacific Northwest winter for granted again. At least until the cabin fever sets in!Deep snow on Mt. St. Helens
