“What was that?” says my friend Mary. She’s looking up. A golden bird with huge wings cruises over us. It finally settles in a Jeffrey Pine tree down in the gully. “Chicken Hawk? Red Tail?” I say.

MOUNT LAGUNA, Calif. — Families hitting Mount Laguna this weekend are in for some fresh powder memories. “I was like let’s go, let’s check it out. Never heard of it up here in San Diego County, it’s ...