“I’m not running, I’m not hiding, I’m not reaching, I’m just resting in the arms of the great wide open, gonna pull my soul in, and I’m almost home.” Mary Chapin Carpenter (Almost Home)
It’s winter…and always a time, where I have no time. Summers’ serenity is far behind me, and I long to get back out to the open spaces. This year has seen record snowfall and the weather has made it difficult for traveling to the mountains. Since I still don’t feel fully comfortable snowshoeing unmarked trails, I decided to enroll in REI’s outdoor Snowshoeing 2: Back Country Travel course. I looked forward to learning more technical aspects of snowshoeing, and route finding, as well as a time set aside to get away and up to the mountains.
My friend, Eva, and I headed up to the class a few weeks ago which met at Donner Sno-Park. Our trek would take us to Andesite Ridge on a very snowy and cold day. We were dressed for it, and very excited for what was ahead as the amount of snow that has fallen so far this winter has been incredible. On this day, we were gonna be snowshoeing with quite a bit of snow falling on us, and it’s just what I needed. The hike we went on was about 3 miles and considered intermediate, as we had to climb up to the ridge.
We started across I80 which required that we walked the road and crossed the on and off ramps. This was probably the scariest part of the trek with chain controls and people trying to get to Boreal Ski Resort which is right next to the PCT trail head. There were also people heading out back country skiing, snow camping, and sledding with their kids. We followed along the ski/snowmobile trail for about a half mile and then headed uphill and made our own trail on fresh snow that was about 3 feet deep.
Our instructors, Ted and Allen, were very knowledgeable and taught us about some of the dangers in the winter including avalanches, cornices, and tree wells; as well as route finding skills, and hiking techniques of uphill, downhill, and traversing a hillside. They were fantastic and I really learned a lot!
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Halfway up the mountain we stopped for a lunch break. As I sat there with the snow falling, I was once again taken by the quiet of this wintry landscape. Even under cold, grey skies, I felt a strong sense of peace…once again I felt like this place is home and my soul is free. After lunch, we made the final ascent to the ridge…and we didn’t stay long. The wind was blowing hard and snow all flying around. Visibility was getting worse and in the distance I could barely see the chair lifts at Boreal. We learned first hand about cornices and how dangerous they can be. What looked like an innocent rock poking out of the snow was really a gigantic rock with a hollow opening on the other side which we could not see. We were shown how to identify this and walk around it so as to not take a huge fall! As we made our way back down the mountain, the snow kept falling and the powder flew beneath our feet. It was an exhilarating and educational day on the mountain and one I won’t soon forget. I can’t wait to get back up there and with the heavy snow pack this season, I will be able to snowshoe late into May and maybe even into early June!
