Winter has come early this year to many areas — including Grand Marais. Since my house sits up on a glacial hill, it is at the mercy of the wind all winter long. The wind piles the snow on the south side of the house. It usually takes all winter for the snow to pile 7 feet up to my kitchen window. Guess what? It is already there! The rain we had this week did not condense or melt the snow much. Plus we received another few inches today and have more forecast for every day this week. On the level, I have around two feet of snow in my yard — but there are drifts everywhere! It is a good thing that the snowplow company I hire for the season to keep my driveway open has a front-end loader!
The first two pictures I took just before Christmas. I cross-country skied and then took my skies off at the top of Sable Falls steps. It is always a challenge to descend the steps in the winter, but well worth the scenery. As many of you will recognize, these pictures were taken at the bottom of Sable Creek. The shots document the beginning formation of icebergs, looking both west and east.
The next two pictures show winter paths. The first was taken on the path next to Sable Falls. The second was taken on my ski trail path behind my house. While I was down state for Christmas, the snow piled up too much to ski. Thus, I was out snowshoeing this afternoon to pack down the snow so that I can ski tonight by headlamp.
