Although it was sunny in Wenatchee, today Karen and I drove uphill into a snowstorm at Mission Ridge Ski Area.

"Look at the snowstorm at Mission Ridge!" I said. "We are heading right into it." Snowstorms at higher elevations are typical in the winter.

Whiteout conditions and blowing snow. I put my camera away so it wouldn't get wet. When it's snowing, it's best to use snowshoes. It was hard work breaking trail with snowshoes in deep snow.

To prevent hypothermia, I changed out of wet, sweaty clothes during lunch. Brrrr! Hot tea helped.

"It's hard to be a mountain woman in the winter," Karen said. "Most people stop hiking when it gets cold. Winter is my favorite time of year in the mountains."

I love the elegant simplicity of the woods in winter.

Avalanche warning: On a steep slope, we saw snow rolls rolling downhill like these on Tronsen Ridge in March 2018. There are two avalanche areas on Pipeline trail, but farther up the trail than we went.

Here I'm on Pipeline trail in December 2016. Today there was a LOT more snow.