Let it Snow!

It almost snowed in Sacramento last week! I know!! It never (well, hardly ever) snows in Sacramento. I remember a real, stay-on-the-ground snowfall in 1940. It was fun to walk around in and toss snowballs. But, actually, I don’t have great memories of fun in the snow. Here’s what I do remember.

As a grade school lad I lived in the northern Coast Range mountains of California in a plain pine board cabin that had survived the ‘49er days. For you youngsters that is 1849 goldminer days. My step-dad was a deep well driller and he was employed to dig a deep test shaft to find possible gold deposit ore. We had no place to live so when we passed this abandoned two room cabin nestled against a cliff by the roadside we stopped and moved in. It was mid-winter and we had to stuff the cracks between the side boards with newspaper to keep the cold out. My misery in the snow came when I had to walk about 2 miles along the treacherous one lane dirt road to and from a one-room school with about 15 students. I was the 3rd grade. The mining company that hired my step-dad added to my adventure by blasting into the mountain alongside the road from time to time. They would blow a loud steam whistle 5 mins. before blasting so anyone near could find shelter from falling debris. Crouching in the freezing snow to keep from being bombarded by rock is not a fun thing. I survived the winter with only one bout of pneumonia. But good things happened as well. You could view the beautiful Mount Shasta wearing its white mantel in the distance and directly to the east the peak of Mount Lassen, an active volcano, with a wisp of vapor crowning its top. And, my mother taught me how to make a poor man’s ice cream by adding milk, sugar and vanilla to a bowl full of snow and setting it outside for a few minutes.

I also dwelled in the Sierra Nevada mountains at the base of Mt. Lassen, a peak I climbed with my wife and sons and where we found that after a venture into the crater, lined at its crest with snow, it was quite warm from the lava buried below. Nearby close to the base of the peak there are bubbling hot springs. The snow gets deep in the surrounding area and the village of Mineral had few inhabitants in winter when the drifts can imprison one in his home. Frostbite is a common hazard. Keeping warm was a daily task. Only one hill provided a skiing slope that was used in the springtime by visiting college students. This was not my favorite winter resort. I did watch the skiers from the warmth of the Mineral Lodge while testing a hot toddy.
My relationship with snow was really tested during World War II when I spent a good deal of time living in foxholes buried in blankets of this stuff. I suffered severe frostbite to my toes and endured other unpleasant problems; like having to kick loose the slide action on my rifle that froze during the nights; being buried by overnight snowfall in outpost foxholes so that the relief guards couldn’t find me. Using an open slit trench as a latrine where that area was frozen slick with ice. Hazardous.

So, I do not find snow the appealing weather condition that provides enjoyment. I know that it is welcomed by many and encourages lots of holiday settings and sports that most probably enjoy, so it may snow in Sacramento but - - - - - I am
Just sayin’