No Shortage of Fun at Vail

A near perfect day for a handful of eager outdoors men and women to get some play time.  After dropping one person at the downhill slopes, the rest spent the day enjoying old man winters' display of beauty in the Vail valley.  Some took to xcountry skis, others strapped snowshoes on.

Something not often seen...a family enjoying xcountry skiing, while the infant rides in its own sleigh

Those on snowshoes need to watch for the xcountry traffic.

There are xcountry and snowshoe trails to be enjoyed.  My guess is each one in the group had thoughts of exploring, maybe getting off trail to bush whack while breaking trail, or simply following marked (not very well) trails.  Shortly after leaving the Nordic Center, Ed and I decided to break new trail. 

Not often in front of the camera, Gary is enjoying the sensation of stepping into thigh deep powder.

Ed stops briefly to take in the Gore Range in the distance.

Today the exciting challenge was to snowshoe through deep powder while climbing close to a waterfall, frozen solid.  After crossing the groomed xcountry trail, we were faced with an up.  It was the perfect opportunity to hone skills for climbing and descending.

OK, you try pulling your snowshoes out of all that powder without falling.

As we gained elevation, snow depth went from a norm of 12" to well over 28."  Let me explain it this way, when one plants a pole to the front or side and that pole is easily swallowed by dozens of layers of virgin powder, that is a great feeling.  It happened to us a number of times today.

A xcountry skier provides a touch of color on an otherwise bland landscape.

My watch tells me it's almost noon.  Need to find a spot to set up the kitchen.  A snow-covered bench just off trail and a large pine tree close by would serve our needs.  The bench served as a table and the area beneath the pine was almost free of snow and flat too.  A perfect spot for the stove.

A sport without noise...sweet!

Minutes later, we had water boiling for chicken noodle soup.  Add a fresh apple and a Kit Kat bar...yikes it's good!  Needless to say, a hot meal on trail in winter replenishes ones energy level a bit more than plain old PBJ sandwiches.

Ed is onto something, a mouse, a rabbit, a...?

We remain close to groomed trails but spend most of the day breaking new.  The fact that nobody has walked the path you are making brings visions of what Lewis and Clark may have thought time after time during their journey.   We are grateful for the opportunity to have views of the Gore Mountain Range while experiencing the beauty of the Vail valley.

Hey, look over here, looks like a young bear print.

 At days end, we had covered the 10 kilometers (10.5 mi.) worth of snowshoe trails.  The temperature climbed a bit as the afternoon hours passed.  It resulted in an unexpected amount of snow that attached to the cleats, bindings, and boot laces as we walked.  As I approached the Nordic Center parking lot, I realized my gait was not as wide nor as deliberate as it was earlier today. 

I've said it many times, "I love going, it's the coming back that I dislike."

Snowshoes are supposed to keep you on top of deep snow, right!

The important thing is, memories are mostly during the journey, not in the parking lot.  Next Tuesday, Copper Mountain.