Escape from Mammoth Mountain

Jill's Journal: We really enjoyed the beginning of our stay in Mammoth Lakes.

And what’s not to like, with scenery like this all over Mono County?

And then the snow came…twice. The mountains went from being bare to looking like someone sprinkled confectioners' sugar over their peaks.

The first snowfall on Thursday night was fun, as first snowfalls usually are.

The girls loved playing in it.

And it sure was pretty.

The main lodge at Mammoth's ski area celebrated by making even more snow with their giant snow-making machines.

We were on track to leave on Sunday, having very much enjoyed our couple of days “camping” in the snow. But then, a second winter storm came in on Saturday night. There had been only a 10% chance of it hitting our area, so we hadn’t been too concerned. Silly us.

We got another eight inches on top of the eight we’d gotten two days before. The temperatures dropped to single digits at night and got barely above freezing during the day, just enough to melt only the top layer of everything and turn it all to ice.

That meant we weren’t going anywhere with the trailer. We waited it out two more days, with Rob diligently working on the slides to rid them of ice in hopes we could eventually move. Madelyn snapped this picture because it made her laugh every time she looked out the window to see her Daddy’s feet.

With a window of four days before the next, much bigger storm was supposed to hit and trap us there even longer (I had visions of us being dug out next June), we finally made our escape, icicles and all.

Our first sign of civilization was in Bishop, California. Many years ago, I used to think Bishop was a dinky little town in the middle of nowhere, but it’s amazing what a little perspective can do. Bishop felt like the promised land after our exile in Mammoth. We lunched like kings in the warmth at Erick Schat’s Bakkery, a famous Dutch bakery in the town of less than 4,000, then continued happily dropping in altitude. We’ve cut our elevation more than in half (to 3,700 feet) and are now safely ensconced in Lone Pine, California. It’s our last cold-weather place for the next few months and frankly, its almost-freezing temperatures at night and no-need-for-winter-jackets during the day feel downright balmy after Mammoth. Ahhhh, warmth. It’s not overrated.