Snow fell almost solidly for 6 weeks, then with the parting of some far away curtain, the snow stopped and the sun appeared. It shines down on us, everyday, for the past 10 days, like some benevolent god. What a miracle. Each day the sun climbs a tiny bit higher in the southern sky, each day is just a bit longer than the last. It is wonderful to see blue sky and green water, the sparkle of the stars at night. It is, however, not nice to see the bright white peaks surrounding us turn shiny, they announce their icy crust with a fervor. The sun on my face beckons me outside, the promise of skiing under perfect blue skies, the use of my darkest sunglasses. Thought I think it is a trick, this blue sky, the snow grows crustier and crustier with each passing hour.
The sun teases me. “Come out. Play. Bask in my warmth!†The sun cries out from her position in the southern sky, “I am Helios, I am Ra, I am Wi, I am Ah Kin and Aja.†Teasing me, taunting me like some siren from the heavens above. All the while she turns the snow to diamonds. Mercilessly she builds a crust of diamonds held together by the wisps of memory; my memory of knee deep powder only a few weeks ago. I love the sun, she warms my skin. I curse her, she destroys the snow with ruthless attention.
The Jet Stream moved, that is why the sun graces us these past 10 days. The Jet Stream, with hundred knot winds, denying us the snow we crave. Oh the battle, the snow and sun.
We take what the sun offers, like beggars on some street corner, we toil under her blue lid, we toil under her cousin the sky and we wait, we wait for the snow to fall.
The sun brings dreams of the summer rushing towards us. The sun brings thoughts of truly endless days, days without nights, days that bleed through sunset right into sunrise. There are many days betwixt now and then. So we ski and explore. We play on the toe of the Valdez glacier. Nisa the leader and point-dog, leads us up a split on the toe then across the surface to a view of the frozen glacial lake and mountains beyond.
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