Snowshoeing in a Snowstorm in Wanderings

I was getting worried about my January climb up the mountain. The snow was getting deeper and my available chances for my monthly hike were slipping away. On Saturday, I decided to climb as far as I could despite the steady snow that was forecasted. I figured if I could get part way, maybe the next day I could return and get further.
It started to snow around 7:30 that morning as I prepared to leave, but I was undeterred. Being out all day in snow has never bothered me before, and it wouldn’t bother me now. So up the hill I went. The couple of feet of snow on the ground was still soft, and the climbing was hard, even with my snowshoes. On bare ground, I had been making the climb in 50-55 minutes, but after one hour of extreme effort, I was barely halfway.
More than once I thought about turning around, but always decided to keep pressing onward. After 2 hours and 10 minutes, I finally was on the summit I named Weathertop. It was my 121st month in a row. The snow at the top was 45 inches deep, with more coming down all the time.
I took this picture of my snowshoe tracks as I crested the mountain. You can see how grey and gloomy the sky was. It kept snowing and snowing. I felt extra good for having made the climb, and spent 30 minutes walking around Weathertop before I headed back down.

As I returned, I noticed my tracks from my trip up were disappearing. It snowed 4-5 inches from when I left until I returned. It was hard, but good. Actually, one of the best climbs I have had.