Our long weekend started and ended with a cup of cocoa, mind you two very different cups of cocoa but both delicious in their own rite. The first preferred to be called drinking chocolate and was infused with peppermint, enjoyed over an evening with friends at Chocolopolis. The last was the no frills type, coming out of a push button machine at Mt. Rainier's visitor center partially to warm my hands and partially because snow and cocoa are synonymous. In between the two cups of cocoa we spent ample time socializing with friends, logging additional snowshoe miles (both at Alpental and Rainier), celebrating a friend's birthday and enjoying the company of my family.

Approximately 2/3 of the snow we have received has melted and created a plentiful mix of streams and waterfalls. Snowshoeing up at Alpental on Saturday felt more like early Spring than mid Winter.

The amount of snow covered trees was greatly reduced and it would require drastic snowfall in order to warrant heading back up there this season.

Disappointed with Saturday's snow, we made up for it on Monday as we snowshoed at Mt. Rainier. I hardly ever worry about avalanches, but as we were snowshoeing I thought if we were to die by an avalanche today it would be unfortunate because our laundry is in two piles on the floor and our bed is not made. I did not want to die and have people think I am messy....silly I know, but luckily we avoided all hazardous conditions.