The past week has really seemed to be the turning point for Spring here in Bozeman. The weather has been seemingly balmy, snow is melting off the mountains, grass is greening up and trees are budding. But most of all, it feels like spring. There is just something in the air that feels and smells and even tastes different.
The first day when you can walk outside and the air feels like that, you know that spring isn’t too far away. But, this early in the year, it’s kind of a false hope. Winter is never done with this area by early April. (Hence the cold snap and snow over the weekend). It’s coming though.
One of the indications for spring that I enjoy is the clouds change. They go from the flat, dark, monotonous layers of winter to the more cumulus, shapely, and large type more associated with a summer’s day. They also bring rain instead of just snow. The other day it started raining and I threw open all the windows in the apartment just to fill the place with the sweet smell of rain.
The other night while fishing with a group of friends we got caught in a storm as it moved through the valley. The first we noticed of it was the clap of thunder that surprised all of us. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that. No thunderstorm quite sounds like a spring storm in the mountains, with the thunder echoing off the hills.
As we slogged back to the cars through the swollen and muddy river, the rain caught up to us. Turns out Mark’s hand me down Patagonia rain jacket that is probably as old as I am is no longer all that waterproof. That’s alright though. It’s just part of the game. It wouldn’t be spring if you didn’t get a little wet now and then. Spring is a challenging season, with the weather, the runoff, shaking off winter’s cobwebs, but it’s the best.
Photo by Jake McGlothlin
