The date April 16, 2007 will be long remembered, for two reasons: a record-setting April nor'easter and, unfortunately, a mass murder in Virginia. Both these events, although totally different, have a common thread for many who enjoy the outdoors

The nor'easter that pummeled us and much of the East Coast is the type of weather phenomenon that occurs far more often than we may realize. Ever since weather records have been kept, there have been major snow events recorded during the months of April and May. For example, in 1915 a huge April nor'easter buried the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states under several feet of snow. More recently, major April snowfalls occurred in 1957, '60, '82, '96 and 2003. And just so we don't forget, we also had major snowfalls on May 15, 1976 and again on May 12, 1996.