Riding in a 10-wheeler truck with a plow on the front and a sander on the back, this back road through the San Gabriel Mountains in Angeles National Forest feels smooth as it slopes upward.
But glancing from the passenger’s side of this Los Angeles County Public Works truck, I see a vast, steep dropoff into the white mountains as snow flies fast toward the windshield. It looks like warp speed in a sci-fi movie.
Behind the wheel of this plow is Kevin Gross, a Public Works crew leader who has worked for the county for more than 15 years. It’s not even 9 a.m. but Gross has been on shift since midnight, clearing what he calls “materials” from these mountain passes so commuters can use them again when the storm passes.
“Basically just plowed roads all morning,” he said. “Angeles Forest Highway, Sierra Highway, Soledad Canyon Road, these main commuter routes.”
The midnight crew
Gross is one of seven crew members driving plows on this midnight to noon shift.
As we drive along watching the snow spray out from the plow, forming neat rows on either side of the road, I suggest that snow plow drivers have their own special wave when they pass one another. Gross recommends the fist pump from The Breakfast Club. I recommend finger guns. We land somewhere in the middle.
He says these roads aren’t just for hikers anymore; now they’re common commuting roads.
“If we weren’t here plowing the snow no one would be able to get up here,” Gross said. “A lot of people use it every morning to bypass the 14 because it’s a lot faster for getting over to the 210. This is a major road now.”
Getting stuck — and unstuck
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