Five Seasons in the Rockies

Reader Contribution by Bruce Mcelmurray

Some would possibly contend that we have three seasons in the Rockies; winter which is our longest season, all other seasons combined and the dreaded mud season. We actually have five seasons with winter being the longest, sometimes up to 6 months long, and then spring, summer and fall. Our worst season is MUD season. That is when the winter snows change to water and slush, and coupled with the combination of warm days and cold nights they turn our roads and the ground into mud. This is the season that only lasts for a few weeks but clearly has the capability to make lives and travel miserable. Mud season is a time that tests your will to remain sane and cope with the never ending messy conditions.

Mud Season

Springtime in the mountains is when everything goes from brown or white to green. Animals come out of hibernation. It is a time when you can again see the ground and assess the damage winter may have caused. Wildflowers start to bloom and the meadows become radiant with a myriad of different colors. Birds build nests and hatch their young. It’ss a time when everything emerges fresh and new, and life is reborn again, and the freshness of the air is invigorating and dazzling colors return to the meadows and open areas. Sandwiched between winter and spring however is our most depressing season and that is mud season. Dirt roads become rutted bogs of soft clay, mud and rocks that require excellent driving skill. It is part of living in the mountains so most people, like us, just tough it out knowing that it is only a brief time all the time looking forward to what follows: spring, summer and fall. Mud season is that season to tolerate and persevere. Anyone who has lived on a dirt road in the mountains can relate to these words.

Mountain Dirt Roads

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