Made it through March
Spring has sprung in the Tri-Lakes area
By Rob Carrigan, rob.carrigan@pikespeaknewspapers.com
In the 1972 Sydney Pollack film “Jeremiah Johnson” about how a war veteran, weary of society, enters the Rocky Mountains around the middle of the 19th century to become a lone mountain man. Civilization eventually catches up with him and he finds himself between all fronts.
The movie features one of the alltime best lines about spring in the area.
After a long time and near the end of the story, Bear Claw (played by Will Geer) and Jeremiah Johnson (played by Robert Redford) meet again in early spring after not seeing each other for a long time.
“March is a green muddy month down below, some folks like it. Farmers mostly,” notes the grizzled old mountain man Bear Claw.
Having recently made it through March, and on into April, folks here in the Tri-Lakes area have earned the right to celebrate the season. Farmers, or not.
Cutlines:
- Snow on the Peak reveals why the Ute tribe called it Tava, or “shining mountain.”
- Traditional daffodils spring forth in Tri-Lakes, only to be covered by snow several times.
- The decreased risk of bad weather in the late spring allows livestock producers to let cows roam to find comfortable surroundings for parturition.
- April snow on the Scottish Broom is always a risk, however.
- Monument Lake sometimes opens up enough by April to try a hand fishing, without having to cut a hole.
- Lacrosse may have been developed as early as 1100 AD among indigenous peoples on the North American continent, but early spring practice in Dirty Woman, might mean snow banks locally.
- The pass through on the Santa Fe Grade along Old Denver Highway shows open water, but plenty of ‘spring dust’ for April fools.
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