In Defense of Foul Weather

For those of you that were in the state of Colorado this winter, you totally understand what is going on with the snowpack here.  We got a massive storm cycle in January, and that was really about it.  Our staff and guides watched with wagging tails as the snowpack levels hit record numbers in January and February.  It could be faulty memory, but I feel like I saw snowpack levels of near 200% of the seasonal average.
Then, disaster.  From February 1st on, we got nothing but unseasonably warm, dry weather.  Which is perfect, really, if you are sitting at the beach.  In the mountains of Colroado, though, this is bad.  The beautiful weather continued into March, and the first half of April.  Then magic- a huge storm in mid-April, and quite a bit of snow late April-early May.  Now it is May 17, and we are expecting 19" of snow in the mountains east of here overnight!

The state of Colorado gets almost all of its water from snowmelt.  This is why the rivers here run so predictably- nearly no flow from September-May, strong, high-water flows from May-Mid July, and mellow, warmer flows from Mid-July until September.  
Now, our statewide snowpack is sitting at about 90%.  For everyone in the state, this is generally bad news.  Especially for Whitewater enthusiasts, like the staff of Adventures in Whitewater. See, if there isn't very much snow high up in the mountains, the urban areas east of the mountains have to take a pretty large percentage of the water.  Leaving little for us to enjoy in the rivers.  
Luckily, the weather radar right now shows a huge system approaching, which should give us a couple days of precipitation, and bring our snowpack back up above 100%.  For us, and you, that means more water for rafting!  

So remember, always pray for snow!