March shows snow, freeze, thaw, light and madness.

Light—First of all and most important, there is more and more sun is in our Palmer future. We can see it. We can feel it. It is liberating. This is actually some folks’ favorite month of the year. There is lots of light. There are no bugs. And the weather is mild.

BUT—There is also no guarantee of lasting spring yet for the Palmer Area. This is the time of the year, when folks are very fragile. The outside sunny weather seems inviting and seductive but indeed it is deceptive. Depression rides high at this time (and we all feel like sissys because we aren’t joyful yet, despite the decrease of the dark times.) So be careful out there. It’s a sneaky month…you can slip and fall, and you can have your expectations dashed. There will not be any real flowers or bunnies this month. There will be some wind. And probably snow. Be prepared. The birds will begin to return! Even in Palmer, the most perfect place in the world, the March of March makes no exemptions from March madness.

Enough March Snow—We have a lot of snow remaining, especially in the highlands and mountain areas surrounding Palmer. We are sick of it so as we watch it melt let’s honor it’s retreat. A cross-section of that snow shows the many compressed layers of sequential snow falls. The snowpack has different qualities depending on local temperature changes, whether winds blow the snow around, or how long the snow has been on the ground. If you examine the snowpack you will see a vertical chronology of the history of our Palmer winter. There are loose and powdery layers and there are dense, crusted layers, a result of the melt and refreeze.

Look at your local Palmer Snow-pile: Here are the scientific descriptions:

• New Snow is a recent snow deposit in which the original form of the ice crystals can be recognized.

• Névé is young, granular snow that has been partially melted, refrozen and compacted.

• Old snow indicates deposited snow whose transformation is so far advanced that the original form of the new snow crystals can no longer be recognized.

• Seasonal snow refers to snow that accumulates during one season or snow that lasts for only one season.

• Powder snow is dry new snow, which is composed of loose, fresh ice crystals.

The Hidden Life under the Snow—These piles of snow look so serene. But there is more and more life underneath the snow. The snow is starting to change its composition, allowing more light and more melt to get in. There are bugs, shrews, voles, and bunnies hiding out in the land under the snow. Exposed tree roots are juicing up along with unveiled organics. Furry grayish fungus is showing up as snow mold. And teeny insects are seen slightly moving in top layers. Much of our snow will have to go through another one hundred freezes and thaws before it finally is dissipated but in the meanwhile we will be able to see some spring revelations.

Formation of Palmer Penitents—Penitents are those tall, strange shaped pinnacles of hardened snow. You can see them on the sidelines of fields or along the Palmer airport road. They look like sculptures, wind carved and sun melted, so they are slightly off balance. On the mountainsides you will see ripple marks which look like corduroy tracks. These are also caused by the wind. “Sastrugi” is seen where the Palmer wind erodes or deposits snow in irregular grooves and ridges. Again quirky and fragile sculptures are the result. Finally you will also see sun cups in our remaining snow. These are shallow, bowl shaped hollows which are a result of strong sunshine rays.

Barbara Hunt is both Palmer writer and artist. She works hard to keep the robust pulse of Palmer, Alaska. She shares the good stuff in the weekly Palmer Alaska Buzz Column in the Mat Su Valley Frontiersman and daily on the Palmer Alaska Buzz Facebook Group. Her “Palmer Buzz 2022 Community Calendar” is available at the Palmer shops. Contact at bhunt@mtaonline.net or text 907.315.3222