Snowshoeing is becoming a popular winter sport for good reason — it doesn’t require much skill (as long as you already know how to walk), nor does it require purchasing any expensive lift tickets. Not to mention there aren’t too many more peaceful experiences than leisurely strolling around in the woods, with fluffy white snow all around.
This winter along the Front Range we have received record-setting dustings of snow that began as early as October. While we never received any massing dumpings like in the Colorado Blizzard of 2006, snow has fallen with enough regularity to keep Fort Collins looking like a Winter Wonderland well into the New Year. In contrast, the mountains directly to the west of my hometown have received less snow than usual.
This did not stop Lisa, Rob, Tori and I from stomping around in deep snow with shoes befitting of Big Foot. Rather, it just meant that we had to drive further up into the mountains to find ample powder. Continue reading »
The snow storm of a couple days ago presented what I figured would be one of the last opportunities for good snowshoeing within a 35-mile radius of Fort Collins. I couldn’t resist, then, joining up with a local outdoors group on a short snowshoe hike at Young Gulch, a trail located in the Poudre Canyon just past the midway point between Fort Collins and the Big South Trail where I was snowshoeing in February. Continue reading »
“It would be nice to go snowshoeing the next time I’m out here,” Tori said sometime during our Ouray ice climbing trip.
I agreed, but with the almost complete dearth of snow in Fort Collins since the first week of December 2008, we were going to have to go somewhere west in the mountains. Happily, we discovered a Fort Collins Meetup group that was planning just that — a snowshoe trip on the Big South Trail in the Poudre Canyon on Valentine’s Day. Continue reading »
With the snowpack thinning around Fort Collins, I figured I’d better take advantage of the snow while still possible. Hence, today I went for a snowshoe run at nearby Lory State Park, about a 20-minute drive from where I live. It was fun to explore the mountains I gaze upon daily while working on the computer, and that seemingly no one else chose to today just added to the serenity of being out there in the woods. Continue reading »
Hooray for the new snow! Not only did it allow me to go snowshoeing on the Winter Solstice as planned, but it allowed me to do so by simply walking out the front door!
More photos are here. Happy Winter Solstice to all!
