Looking At the Mountains

LOOKING AT THE MOUNTAINS this morning as I sit at my desk, it is spring-like.  There is almost no snow on the peaks.  Barely a trace.  Yesterday it was 56 degrees and raining.  Today it will be in the 40’s and sunny.  It’s strangely beautiful with leafless trees defining the mountains and nearby hills in a fine tracery of greys and browns.  The fields are golden.

This is not normal. In Northern Vermont at this time of year it is usually in the 20’s during the day; snow covers the mountains and the fields.  The ski areas often open for skiing, although sometimes the skiing is limited to terrain where they make snow.

I’ve seen this before many years ago--- no snow until Christmas day and then a 3’ dump!  But, you have to ask yourself  about global warming. 

When I was in college I loved to mountain climb, and the glaciers in Switzerland and France even then were retreating ( 1950’s).  The glaciers in the Himalaya up in the Annapurna Sanctuary showed huge retreat back in 1982 when Shannon and I spent time there.  We stood on a lateral moraine and looked down 30’ to the glacier floor which was almost all gravel.  The glacier was snugged up much closer to Annapurna. It used to be a full river of ice and snow.

So, what is going on?  Global warming is real, part natural and I believe part exacerbated by C02 and other pollutants that are man-made.  I’ve seen it and I am seeing it. We must be better custodians of our planet home

R. A. M.