Global warming

Some say that the onset of global warming will turn the resorts of the South of France into Saharan wastelands, the gently undulating landscape of the Loire valley into a baked hard dustbowl. That the coastal resorts of Bournemouth and Brighton and Torquay will finally receive the balmy Mediterranean weather they have for decades presented themselves as being in receipt of.

That’s as may be, for now it can be acknowledged I’m sure that in Britain at least the winters are colder, the summers are hotter and if these are indicators of a change to more extreme forms of weather resulting from global warming then bring on the Hybrids.

Hybrids of course are no good in snow and snow is what the Californian Sierra Nevada has had plenty of in recent years. This year for example (not to labour a point) the snow pack on the 1st of April was 178%, the previous years was 107% whereas in 2001 it was a mere 67%.

This is, of course, good news for skiers, snowboarders, skidoo drivers and professional ‘plow’ drivers, ‘plow’ drivers whom make their income from the removal of snow from roadways and are driven in the summer months into either abject poverty or donning a red swimsuit to ensure safety in the coastal resorts of the Californian Pacific or so I’m told.


‘Plow’ drivers probably don’t drive Hybrids at least to their winter work.

The Tioga pass is currently a solid source of income for the average plow, the snow pack is so deep it towers above the vehicles as they cut their way from each side of the pass the good news is that as of 31 May Tioga pass has been partly ploughed over its entire length.

Now, road crews are working to remove snow from the entire width of the road and plow turnouts and side roads. In addition, road crews will be removing rockslides and redirecting snowmelt across the road to reduce icy road conditions. Finally, Olmsted Point is still unsafe due to avalanche danger.

So it looks like those crews are good for at least a couple more weeks, probably just long enough to see us take the ‘long way round’ to Furnace creek.

At the moment then its looking like our personalised itinerary may be subject to the change that my prior planning had identified.

Still looking at the pictures and seeing the data means we can’t complain, it’s a tough job and the crews deserve their summer breaks when it’s done.

Posted in: Plan,Route,Snow,Tioga