Even though the latest storm has set us back a bit in terms of melting, the valley is looking remarkably clear!

Gothic isn't nearly as clear as this- there's still a fair amount of snow around our cabin.  Our porch is clear though, and I'm looking forward to reading outside once the weather warms up (32 F and windy with off and on snow is not warm enough).
[T - the south facing hillsides are totally out of the snow now, and the little sprouts of plants are starting to poke out of the dirt!  It's really exciting]

 
The sheer volume of melt is amazing.  Believe it or not, 397" of snow adds up to a lot of water, even if it's dry snow.  Here's a view of what the recent cold snap did to some of that melted snow.

[T - every little valley between hills turns into streams at this time of year.   This is one that runs under the road]