The Bird's eye view

Spending so much time on airplanes isn't a great way to relax...even if P has learned to sleep on airplanes...but it does give you a new perspective on the Sierra Nevada. And that's especially true this year.

This has been an odd year, with rainfall only reaching 2/3 of our normal annual rainfall...

And the snow levels throughout the year were just plain measly. See our posts of hiking in Yosemite in late December (when we spotted wildflowers at 5500 feet at the foot of Ribbon Falls) or in the middle of January (when there was almost NO snow in Tuolumne Meadows, at over 9000 feet!

But just in case you were under the impression that the snows of this spring, including the brief storms in late May and even in June, were enough to make up the difference, you are wrong.

Sonora Pass is not only open---there is very little snow in sight. And Sonora Peak, at over 9,500 feet, is practically bare. Sure, there are lakes in the high country that are still frozen, because it is still cold at night. But there simply hasn't been enough snow to stick to the ground, and what was there is now melted away.

This should be a great year for hitting the trail---but we are a little worried about water later in the summer.

Our advice? Get out there now, while the getting is good!