Niko scene, Bell Cedar

I don't like to use any old cliches, but here's one that's amazingly appropriate (which is why it became a standard in the first place): What a difference a day makes! Yesterday was Water Strider record warm. Today, starting in the early morning, was Winter Storm Niko, a remarkable blend of cold rain, then ice, then graupel, then THUNDERSNOW—the rarest of rare weather phenomena—then heavy snow, then gale-force winds and blizzard conditions, then clearing and plummeting temperatures. I hope the Jesus Bugs were able to seek shelter, but in the thick of it, I, of course, strapped on my snowshoes and sought outdoor adventure. It was certainly cold, but just delightful to be crunching through about a foot of accumulation and having to dodge all sorts of obstacles brought low by the wind and the white coating. The birds, at least, had the good sense to hole-up for the day; the photographer, weatherproof Fuji in hand, had no sense at all, but honestly, what's a good winter for if not a documentation excursion along a local trail?