Carlos Navarro, senior director of canyon operations, has been working in the Canyon since 2006, when he was just 16 years old. The biggest snow he had seen was a light dusting several years ago, just snowy enough to give us pictures for Christmas cards.
This year, though, the Canyon received nearly a foot of snow and several inches of ice. From February 10-18, the Foundation Camp property just north of Leakey in Real County faced freezing temperatures—often in the single digits—for seven full days.
“Oh my goodness. It was like I was in a totally different part of the country,” Navarro said. “Driving up the main hill in the snow, I could almost forget we are in Texas.” The Foundation property looked like a different Canyon.
Those of our readers in Texas likely experienced the winter storm firsthand, and we hope all of you were safe. Our staff, our guests, and the Canyon itself experienced some of the 9.9 million power outages across Texas. One Foundation employee lost power to her home for more than four weeks.
Navarro cited many other employees—Juan Ortiz, Fern Navarro, Troy Wright, Rudy Gonzalez, Sam Rylander, and others—who helped fix broken pipes, check on neighbors, and deliver water and supplies to folks around Real County, Kerr County, and Gillespie County.
We know it’s been hard. Many of you asked how we were doing—and what snow in the Canyon looks like. Thanks for checking on us like good neighbors do and thanks for asking! These photos are for you.
