A date to keep in mind during these fierce, late winter snowstorms is March 20, the first day of astronomical spring, the vernal equinox. An even closer date, March 1, ushers in climatological spring.

Not that either date means spring is sprung. At 7-8,000 feet in the San Juans, there’s still plenty of wet, cold, sloppy weather ahead, ready to puncture deep winter-fueled dreams of anodyne warmth and strong sunlight.

We can see glimmers of hope, though, after nine cold, snowy weeks since the wint...