Water for great coffee, though no moose

Water from a glacial tarn above the tree line tastes like it just came out of a tap in northern Maine. At least, that's what I think.

I never thought I would taste water as cold and pure as the water we drank when we spent eight days in Maine a few years ago. We rented a place about a mile from the gate at Acadia National Park. The only thing missing as a moose.

I have had plenty of water from high Sierra tarns, but never really paid much attention until after that trip to Maine. Now I notice.

The little body of water in the photograph is in magnificent Dusy Basin, which was an easy hike from South Lake west of Bishop. The pass is about 12,000 feet, but you really don't have to work very hard for very big reward on the other side in Kings Canyon National Park.

In the photo above, I was getting water for coffee one morning. Starbucks instant never tasted so good. It was Italian roast. All I needed was a bistro table, a few chairs and an indolent morning. There are no moose up in Kings Canyon, but I didn't miss it this time.

Lousy winter, wimpy snowpack, but not really a record dry season

Most major California news outlets reported last week that January, February and March were the driest on record. Were they right?

Yes, if they said they were talking about the Northern Sierra. Otherwise, no. Most of the ones I read did not qualify it. My colleague at the Sacramento Bee, Matt Weiser, said it correctly. But I didn't read any others who did.

And, even if it was a record for the Northern Sierra, it hardly makes this a desperately dry year, as some outlets portrayed it. Take a look at the eight-station index on the state web. It's tracking close to last year.

In other words, there was a lot of precipitation in November and December. The snowpack is nothing to write home about -- about half the average. The photo above was taken by photographer Mark Crosse from a helicopter last week above the Kings River watershed. He was photographing a disappointing snow survey.

This is California's wet season. Sporadic. Tempestuous. Capricious. It's the land where average happens once every decade or so.

If the reservoirs were less than average right now (and they are not), it would be time to worry. Now, if we see a wimpy winter in 2013-14, it will be time to worry.