Somewhere after the [link slug="gordon-hirabayashi-recreation-site"/] I started to notice the snow in the shade and by the time I was in Bear Canyon there were small piles of snow on the side of the Highway!

Higher on the mountain I watched sledding and snow ball fights - it was great to see people out and enjoying the snow - but it was also beautiful to leave the people behind and enjoy the nearly empty Butterfly Trail - I hiked out to Butterfly Peak, watched the sunset and hiked back in the quiet snow under a sliver moon.