COEUR d’ALENE — At the base of snow-covered Cherry Hill, Lauren Hensley, 8, hefted her snow tube up so it covered her and her brother, 6-year-old Michael.

“I’m shielding from Daddy!” she yelled gleefully as her father, Josh Hensley, pelted the children with snowballs. 

The Post Falls family was one of several who spent Tuesday afternoon sledding at Cherry Hill Park after the first significant snowfall of the season. Several inches of snow fell Monday, with more expected throughout the week, according to the National Weather Service’s Spokane Office. 

At the park, the layer of snow on the ground was thin enough for green and brown grass to peek through in places, but thick enough to crunch underfoot as kids and adults trudged up the hill. 

“My daughter was itching to get out here,” Josh said. 

Last winter, when the family skipped sledding after a dump of snow, Hensley said he assured his daughter there would be another snowfall. They had to wait until now for another opportunity and they planned to make the most of it. 

“If we’re going to go sledding, we’re going all the way out to Cherry Hill,” he said. 

After the snowfall that blanketed North Idaho in white throughout Monday, a steady stream of customers purchased shovels, snow blowers, window brushes and more at local hardware stores. 

“That’s pretty typical of a day like this,” said an employee at Home Depot in Coeur d’Alene, who declined to share his name. 

Ace Hardware in Hayden saw a similar turnout. Staff said traction sand sold out by early afternoon and other snow removal items were flying off the shelves. 

“Of course it’s shovels,” store supervisor Douglas Strinz said with a laugh. “Mostly shovels. A couple of snow blowers have gone out today. We’re busy.” 

The first big weather event of the winter usually brings with it a flurry of customers in need of supplies, Strinz said. 

“We have a lot of new customers, we’ve noticed,” he said. “Actually, this year, there are a lot of new homeowners in the area. We love new customers. We’re seeing a lot of people new to the snow coming in for their snow shovels, antifreeze and all that stuff.”

    Anakin Layne stands ready to slide down a pile of snow at Cherry Hill Park.