Snow drifts in July? Oh, certainly...in Utah's Mountains

These pictures still give me CHILLS. We were supposed to open, and being new to the campground, we didn't realize there were TWO more camp sites. They were so buried in snow we still couldn't see where the tables might be. The stick in this picture is my tough shovel handle. It held up much better than my leather gloves, and I was grateful for it. There really were tables in these drifts. The one in the second picture scared me. . . as there was a sizable cave under it . . . and I convinced myself it was a bear's den. (Three recent bear sightings in the Brighton Ski Area, just barely up the road, stoked my imagination.) I was sure if I dug any deeper, my shovel would part the hair of a big black bear.
The picture at the top of this post is the same site a month later. No bear. But we were required to pass out pamphlets and lecture campers about bears because of the sightings. The flower-lined trail leads to Brighton Ski Resort. We learned this site is a favorite because of its wild "back yard" that extends to a large "secret" tent site.