Twin Walls of Snow. View South west.
“ We move through twin walls, almost a tunnel of snow. “
Second Snow Fields, Beartooth Highway MT Note grass and mud in melt water stream. The rock piled from road construction bulldozers, shows however no evidence of topsoil. The poles help guide the snow plows not to loose the pavement. Elevation is 10736 feet, so it’s deep snow is again due to another low area, combined with also a second North facing slope. Here we pause to note the factual accuracy the Narrator has worked into his enthusiastic grass/flowers/ snow fields page: I summarize the Narrators high country series:" Stunted trees; no trees, just grass; grass and flowers and lichens; into the snow fields; and finally between banks of old snow." (Go over a crest unmentioned by Narrator.) Then more"grass, flowers, mud, melt water." (Some of the Narrator’s flowers may correspond to going down and along a long South facing slope and into low area which most assuredly would have an even deeper snow-melt stream.) Then "heavy snow, and finally the highest twin wall tunnel of snow." (A second crest is ahead, also unmentioned by the Narrator. This is just what we have seen and will see)!! As you can see, the narrative step by step, accurately fits the ZMM travel experiences. Omitting four switchbacks, the factual accuracy continues, as we move, in the high country, towards the physical high country climax at “the summit” and factually the highest elevation of this highway. This accuracy seen so many places in ZMM, is indeed, “consistently responsible to the landscape” scroll down to find Professor Robert Nelson on my links page..
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(Photo = 106-0626 ...... ZMM Page = 110 ...... WayPt = 142w)