I had planned to take today off of work to go snowshoeing with a friend. Unfortunately my friend fell ill, and by then I had already rented snowshoes and bought a Sno-Park Pass that was only good for today. Plus, the weather was excellent. So, I just went by myself. I did a beginner trek, the Gold Creek Pond Loop near Snoqualmie Pass. There were plenty of people around but not too many, and I had my ten essentials.
I thought I had a late start when I got there at 11:00, but I’m glad I wasn’t earlier. It was 22 degrees when I parked at the trailhead. At first I was really cold: my gloves weren’t cutting it and my bare face was freezing. It wasn’t long before the sun came out though, and it quickly warmed up ten degrees. Then I was very comfortable.
I had always heard that snowshoeing was a slog compared to cross country skiing (which I have tried), but I disagree. I didn’t really like the snowshoes as much on the snowy paved road, but I loved them on the trail. Nordic skis are great on a groomed trail like the road, but on the softer areas there’s no substitute for the snowshoes. You can go up or down steep snowy slopes like a mountain goat. In fact, I think I like it more than regular hiking. I think it’s probably really easy to get off trail and lost while snowshoeing though, since so many landmarks are covered. I definitely want to try it again this season.
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