Alpine had a record 21” of snow in 24 hours yesterday. Yes, I shoveled ALL of it. If you are the snow blower at your house here’s a handy tip to keep your back pain free…alternate the sides that you shovel from. Go left, then right, then left, then right…and make stretching part of your warm up and cool down. Here’s how… Let It Snow!
I’ve lived in Utah most of my life. It’s diverse and I have come to LOVE and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us here! We have rivers for fishing, lakes for water sports, mountains for hiking, desert sand dunes, over half a dozen national parks in southern Utah alone, and of course arguably the greatest snow on earth! It hasn’t always been easy to appreciate the diversity. I used to like only the summer months. I’m a fair weather kinda gal. I like the sun and when I was young spent as much time as I could in the outdoors. When winter hit I shivered from December until April and secretly wished that like bears we could hibernate all winter long and emerge in the spring ready to feast and bask in the warmth of April’s sunshine.
If you can’t beat ‘em I always like to find a way to join ‘em. I had to turn my perspective around and learn to enjoy the winter months too. What I found is nothing short of 
amazing! I love to ski in the winter and in the last couple of years have taken up snow shoeing. It’s an inexpensive way to recreate outside and enjoy the snowy mountains. My winter essentials consist of warm gloves, winter outer wear, a pair of good snow shoes, and a butt sled. One of my favorite places to hike is up Horse Tail Falls. It’s a trail that starts on the east side of Alpine just past the rodeo
Winter Essentials
grounds. It’s steep – I like it that way…that’s why I bring the sled! For a 45 minute hike up it takes 12 minutes to sled down and it is a hoot! (I’m considering buying a helmet so I can go faster.)
If you feel stuck inside during the winter… take a walk or get up into the mountains for some fresh air! The higher you go the better off you are and you can usually get out of the inversion muck. Here’s to playing in the snow!