With all this new snow lots of trails are closed. So what’s one to do? The Sierra Star had a great article today for a winter snowshoeing trip that sounds like a great adventure for everyone family.
Sierra Star: “What does one do with a new pair of snowshoes? First you find a buddy with the same equipment, and then plan a trip. With our snow level below 5,000 feet, there are a few choices of trailheads. We chose the snow park area just before the south entrance to Yosemite National Park.
Two days before this trip, there was fresh snow at 5,000 feet. It was ideal conditions for a snowshoe hike. In less than an hour, we arrived at the snow park. Driving a four-wheel drive vehicle and carrying chains is always a necessary precaution.
Keep in mind your walking skills change after adding snowshoes to the equation. One must step with a wider stance and lift his or her leg higher. When turning around, don’t step on your opposite shoe. Do not walk backwards. Ski poles aid in balancing each step. Now that I have you confused, let’s start to snowshoe!
After the first hundred yards, coordination improves and we started noticing the surrounding landscape. The pine and cedar tree branches were sagging from the recent snowfall. Next we noticed the total silence. The only sounds we heard were the sounds of the thin crust of ice collapsing under our snowshoes. Then occasionally silence was broken by a bird chirping from the distant pine tree. Excitement began to build when we discovered fresh animal tracks. Deer, rabbit, ground squirrel and coyote were the only animals crossing our trail. We were in luck that we didn’t find any major predator tracks.
Our destination was the back forestry gate into Yosemite National Park. While hiking this old forestry road, there were a few choices of directions. One fork heads to Fish Camp, another is called the Goat Mountain Loop and Buffin Meadow Trail. These trails are featured in a brochure called, ‘Goat Meadow cross country ski trails,’ which is available at the Yosemite Sierra Visitors Bureau on Highway 41 in Oakhurst.
The snow depth started at six inches. As we increased in elevation, the snow depth did as well. Before reaching our turn around point at the park gate, we encountered 24 inches of snow. All morning, we followed day-old tracks from two cross-country skiers. They continued past the gate and probably completed the loop to the parking area at Mariposa Grove. That would be another skiing trip idea to challenge Clem and I this season.”
Photo by David (a.k.a. Randomcuriousity) via Flickr.