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Snowshoeing the West Bench Trail

Saturday, January 8, 2011

My first official trip report of 2011. Amanda had to work in Avon, so I headed up on the Grand Mesa to get in my first snowshoe trip of the season. There was an inversion in the Grand Valley, so it was nice to get up above the haze and into some warmer temperatures, too! When I started driving up onto the Grand Mesa I wasn’t sure which trail I was going to explore, but when I got up there I decided to head out on the West Bench Trail for a few miles. I ended up snowshoeing about 4.3 miles which isn’t too bad for my first trip of the season. It was definitely a good workout! The conditions on the Mesa were great and it was a beautiful day.

Strapping on my snowshoes for the first time this winter.

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Redfeather by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Gauge of how deep the snow is.

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Stop by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Passing by the first reservoir.

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Reservoir by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Ice on the branches.

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Ice by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Aspens and Snow

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Snow & Aspen by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Seeing what kind of sunburst I could get out of my S90. This was as good as it gets when stopped all the way down to f8.

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Sunburst by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A photo of myself along the trail.

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Me by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Aspen Shadows

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Aspen Shadows by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Tracks across a clearing.

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Tracks by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

After making it back to my Jeep I made one last stop before heading back down off the Mesa. I stopped at the Union Cafe at Powderhorn for one of their excellent burgers. It was a great day on the Grand Mesa.

>> Snowshoeing the West Bench Trail Photo Gallery

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