Comments on: Snow Bound http://www.ncobrief.com/index.php/archives/snow-bound/ If it was easy, anyone could do it. Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:25:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.5 by: B. Durbin http://www.ncobrief.com/index.php/archives/snow-bound/#comment-578776 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 04:48:32 +0000 http://www.ncobrief.com/index.php/archives/snow-bound/#comment-578776 I remember reading in your book that the S-T Party reached the eastern foot of the Sierras in October and thought, "Uh-oh." At the time, I was remembering the discussion I had with an Iowa man while on the California Zephyr (the same trip where I took the photo), talking about the snow that was still by the side of the tracks in June. "Oh, a normal snowpack is fifteen to twenty feet, easy. Truckee is one of the coldest places in the lower 48 for most of the year." (As in, it stays colder longer than many places north.) Entering the Sierras on foot in fall is a major danger, but if you grew up with a typical snowpack of a few feet, you might not realize what danger you were getting into. But it sure made this California girl shudder. I remember reading in your book that the S-T Party reached the eastern foot of the Sierras in October and thought, “Uh-oh.” At the time, I was remembering the discussion I had with an Iowa man while on the California Zephyr (the same trip where I took the photo), talking about the snow that was still by the side of the tracks in June. “Oh, a normal snowpack is fifteen to twenty feet, easy. Truckee is one of the coldest places in the lower 48 for most of the year.” (As in, it stays colder longer than many places north.)

Entering the Sierras on foot in fall is a major danger, but if you grew up with a typical snowpack of a few feet, you might not realize what danger you were getting into. But it sure made this California girl shudder.

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