Bev and I left Berkeley Sunday March 19 to meet David, Stace, Chase, Tarek, and Robin for a few days climbing at Joshua Tree. Tehachapi Pass was difficult, creeping along between huge trucks in a sleet storm. We slept that night about 75 miles from Joshua Tree, and found David early next morning at Sheep Pass group campground. It was cold. We explored, driving to the South Entrance while others climbed. Tuesday was a beautiful cool desert day, sun warming the rocks. We all climbed at Echo Rocks. Nice evening, campfire, steaks, wine, etc.. Wednesday we all had to leave. David and company did a half day climbing, then drove to Berkeley arriving about 1:00 AM. Bev and I drove up 395 in rapidly worsening weather, pulling into a side road near Mammoth for the night. Next day was really bad, high winds and blowing snow, no visibility. The police were stopping people in Reno, but let us through as we were only going to Squaw Valley, not over the pass. Couldn't make the hill on Wayne Road. Began to slip about twenty feet from the top. Did a backward 180 and slid all the way to the bottom. We parked in the property owners parking lot and walked to the cabin. It was nice to find it warm and cozy. There had been a major storm a few day earlier and snow was piled high around our cabin. The Walsh cabin uphill was almost buried.

Our cabin felt like a cave. Snow was piled high outside the dormers upstairs. Snow was at the window ledges downstairs. It has been many years since we have seen this much snow.

And still it snowed. Snow now rose halfway up the south window. Looking east over Navajo the Hall cottage was no longer visible, only the top of the telephone pole. Looking north east where the Walsh cabin should be there was only a wall of snow.

The snow outside the south window completely covered the willow tree, ten or twelve feet high in the summer.

We arrived Thursday. We expected Heather that night, but the pass was closed. Friday it snowed. I shoveled out the path. We walked down to the car and brought up some food. I started to shovel a place for the car. The first effort was to cut through the birm, four or five feet of packed and frozen snow, almost ice. One of the local plows stopped and the driver looked out and said "I don't want to be disrespectful, but you are too old for that. Can I help you?" Well, yes he could. So he cleared the snow out for two cars, making banks ten feet high. After that it was a battle with county plow. I shoveled. The county plow went by and blocked the space. I shoveled again, etc.. Saturday it snowed. I shoveled the path. I shoveled the new birm. The snow level around the cabin rose and rose.

So far we had shoveled only the path out to the road. The cellar door was completely blocked with snow that had slid down the roof and curled around against the door.