Saturday, December 20, 2014
After being lazy last weekend, Diane and I decided to drive up onto the Grand Mesa this morning so we could get in our first snowshoeing trip of the season. We wanted to go somewhere new and away from the crowds, so we parked near the Visitor Center and took the trail to Arch Slough Reservoir. It was certainly a good trail to get away from the crowds since no one had been on it yet this season. That meant we had the privilege of breaking trail through about three feet of fresh powder the whole way. It was a good test for my new snowshoes and I even got to try out the extension tails. Even with the additional length from the tails we sunk in the powder pretty deep. It was definitely a good workout and very tiring. Diane and I took turns breaking trail and it was a lot easier for the second person. After reaching the reservoir we returned to the trailhead the same way so we wouldn’t have to break even more new trail. The hike was a lot easier on the way back!
Fresh snow to break trail through…
Untracked Snow by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
The sky was overcast most of the day, but we did have a few breaks in the clouds where we saw some blue sky.
Blue Sky by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Diane takes her turn breaking trail.
Breaking Trail by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Hard Work by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
We tried to follow the trail, but ended up getting off of it and finding our own way down to the reservoir at the end.
Arch Trail by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Another small break in the clouds when we reached Arch Slough.
Arch Slough View by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Diane on the reservoir near our turnaround point.
On Arch Slough by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Arch Slough Snow by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Diane following our tracks back out. Much easier!
Following Our Tracks by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Snowshoe tracks through the forest.
Snowshoe Tracks by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
This was my first trip on my new Lightning Ascent snowshoes, and I am pretty happy with how they performed. It probably would have been a little easier with longer snowshoes in the conditions we had today, but we don’t usually hike in these conditions.
Lightning Ascent by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr