Weekly Photo Roundup: February 12, 2017

Every Sunday I will be posting photos collected from various NCI graduate students and staff. Please enjoy this glimpse into our everyday lives here in the North Cascades.

Snow falling on the Skagit River in Marblemount, behind the Blue House residence. Photo by Angela Burlile

The week started off with continuing heavy snowfall in the upper Skagit. The North Cascades Environmental Learning Center accumulated several feet of new snow in a period of just four or five days!

Top photo: Blue skies at the Environmental Learning Center. Bottom: A snow covered Diablo Dam. Photos by Angela Burlile

On Tuesday, the snow let up and we had a brief period of sunny skies. A break in the weather gave us all a chance to dig out our vehicles and clear some walkways around the Environmental Learning Center.

Photos by Sarah Clement

All the new snow made study breaks even more enjoyable for the graduate M.Ed. students. Grad student, Jihan Grettenberg, dug up an old Mountain School snowsuit for some snowy adventures in our amphitheater. With the help of our awesome kitchen staff, grads also whipped up some marionberry snow cones.

Photo by Calvin Lasatch

Conference and Retreats Coordinator, Calvin Lasatch, snapped this photo of our partially buried Environmental Learning Center entrance sign on Highway 20.

The avalanche on Highway 20, near milepost 125. Photos by Bob Hopfield

On Thursday morning, grads and staff at the Environmental Learning Center woke up to news that an avalanche had occurred in the gorge between the town of Diablo and Newhalem, trapping them until conditions are safe enough for the snow to be cleared. Avalanche danger has dropped to moderate and the Washington State Department of Transportation is planning on assessing and possibly clearing the road on Monday.

Update 2/13: As of 10 am this morning, SR 20 is clear and open between the Environmental Learning Center and Newhalem.

Title photo by Sarah Clement