Snowshoeing. That's what you call it. Hiking in the snow that is. Myself and 13 other men took to the mountain trails this past Saturday. Now if you know anything about the mountains in Colorado, you know that they are full of snow in February. Hiking in the mountains this time of year requires specialized equipment. Snowshoes to be exact. I've never been showshoeing before, and only 2 people in our group had. In spite of that, somehow I was designated the leader of the group anyway. The loose interpretation of a leader of a snowshoeing expedition is the guy who says "let's go snowshoeing" and then picks a date and time to do it. If you do this, you are the leader, no other qualifications are necessary. This was fine with me. I felt it was important to get some of the guys from my church together for an outing where they could connect, build releationships, and even connect with God in the outdoors. It is still 3-4 months yet before the snow melts in the mountains, so if engaging in an activity that we were all novices at, so be it. Snowshoeing it is!
We hiked roughly 3 miles worth in the snow, near the Brainerd Lake area near Ward Colorado. There were many others out snowshoeing Saturday as well. We just added to the masses. We hiked up and to a fork in the trail and then headed left, which was a major downhill portion, which was nice except the fact that for each step down, was a realization that we had another step back up later on. We actually ended up hiking on a different trail than we thought we were on. Consequently we never made it to Brainerd lake, but we did make it to a high point just off the trail at 10, 230 feet. We dismounted from our shoes (A chore in itself) and bushwacked to the highest spot we could find. The "leader" ended up in a hole of snow almost up to his waist on the way to the top. (That's what leaders do right? Show the others where not to step?) At the top, we had lunch, read scripture, and looked across the valley below. It was awesome! We backtracked back to the parking lot, all of us making it down safe, and the snow waited to start coming down just as we were having our closing prayer in the parking lot.
It was a good day, and a great time together. We learned a new skill, made new friends, and now have a better idea just how many layers we need to wear to survive a winter day snowshoeing in the Colorado Mountains. We already have another day proposed for our next outing. I can't remember who suggested that date. Whoever it was, must be the leader.
You look like a natural!
Posted by: Rob | February 04, 2008 at 05:32 PM