Big storms in the PNW are a double-edged sword. On the one edge we want and need these storms to dump prodigious amounts of snow in the mountains because that's where the majority of our summer water comes from. Big snow also means big adventure. The other edge is all about avalanches. All that snow piled up all at once has a tendency to come down all at once. When we're experiencing a big storm it's easy to see the danger on the Northwest Avalanche Center site. All that orange, red, and black isn't healthy for adventuring. (If you're not sure, those are bad colors.)
So big storms are both good and bad. In the words of a real genius, "I'm happy and sad for you." It means when it's dumping we tend to stick to avalanche safe terrain, typically in the lowlands. Hence, Otter Falls.
I remembered Otter Falls and Lipsy Lake from a fun spring trip back in 2006. Back then you could drive all the way to the trailhead and it was mostly a road walk. Oh. And there was no snow. This time there was an extra half mile before the trailhead. Worse was the snow. As much as a foot of heavy, wet snow. Becoming heavier as the rain poured down. Even worse than the snow was the couple of inches of super-chilled water below the snow. All that combined to make a thoroughly terrible experience.
Oh, and the boots. New boots. (Technically, not new, but the first adventure of any distance.) The boots are good ones. Or they will be. 10 miles in new boots was a bad idea. Blisters aren't the right description. More like open wounds. It's been so long since I've had bad blisters I had forgotten how much fun they are.
So maybe the big storms are like a double-edged sword, but with a really sharp point that jabs you in the heel with every step. The best advice is to stay home on these sorts of days. But that's really advice for you, not for me. I think I've proved repeatedly I'm not smart enough to stay home. Learn from me. Don't be me.
