Skyline Lake February 9, 2013

Snow shoeing is not Derrick's favorite outdoor activity. However, in the winter there aren't many other options. After a bit of negotiating, I convinced him another snow shoe trip was in order and sure enough he had a great time!

The destination this time was Skyline Lake, again very near Stevens Pass. We parked in the north lot and hit the trail. You follow a groomed road up so snow shoes weren't even really necessary for a lot of the hike. It was a fairly gradual climb with increasingly nice views. We reached the end of the road at a tower (cell phone maybe?). At this point you have a nice view in several directions.

Here we mistakenly followed a smaller trail that we thought was leading to the lake. We soon realized it didn't quite seam right, but were almost at a high point so decided to keep going. We got up to a nice little summit where we met a few snowboarders and back country skiers. It was their tracks we followed. They were getting ready to hit some backcountry slopes so we took over their spot and had a nice lunch.

The views were great and the weather was quite cooperative. We decided our high point was more exciting than the lake so didn't bother to make a stop there on the way down. We realized later that the turn off to the lake is actually before you get to the tower. On the way down we attempted a mini glisade without much success. However, we did manage to amuse many other groups who were on their way up.

We found a snow hut along the trail. Derrick decided to climb on in and take a picture.

Derrick actually enjoying snow shoeing

Panorama from our view point

Snowy trees and ski runs

King of the mountain!

Lunch time

Derrick being a poser

Lanham Lake February 3, 2013

We were starting to feel a bit too stationary this winter and decided it was time to head to the mountains. Sam, Sarah, Derrick, and I agreed a snow shoe trip was in order. We set our sites on Lanham Lake a relatively short hike near the Stevens Pass Nordic Center. This is a nice hike for two reasons; low avalanche danger and free parking!

It felt great to get out and stretch our legs. The hike in was pretty easy, gradual climbs through the snow covered forest. The lake was frozen with deep snow all around. We saw a few other groups, but were able to pick a nice area by the shore to have lunch. We all decided this would be a good place to come for winter snow camping.

On the way down Derrick and Sam were having way too much fun with impromptu glisade shoots. I don't think they could go more than 50 feet at a time, but it was pretty amusing. All in all a great day out in the mountains!

The four of us on the lake shore

 

Paradise Snow Shoe Mount Rainier Take 2

With a clear day in the forecast four of us decided to set out for Mount Rainier for a day of snowshoeing. We drove up to Paradise with plans of exploring Manzama Ridge. We checked in with the ranger who was less helpful than most rangers I've encountered. We did learn that the trail had not yet been poled but should be navigable. It was a clear morning, but some ominous clouds sat in the distance. Now this was the second time I've attempted to snowshoe Manzama Ridge. I had planned to go last January, but low visibility sent us to Reflection Lake instead.

We started out our adventure heading north from the parking area. It was beautiful as we headed toward the mountain, but after about 15 minutes the clouds started to roll in. The wind picked up blasting us with icy snow in the open areas. We stopped for a quick lunch in a clump of trees and forded onward. When we made it to a clearing we started to become a little unsure where we should go. The clouds had rolled in a bit more and it was snowing lightly on us. We saw a few people heading northeast up what seamed way to steep to be our route and decided to head in a more easterly direction. Looking back at the map we should have continued upward if we wanted to get on skyline ridge and head over to Manzama. We decided to abandon our hopes of the ridge since we had lost our chance at getting a view and head back down an adventurous route down to the road. It's amazing how the openness of the Paradise area combined with snow can really skew your judgement on distance. It felt like we had hiked quite a ways, but had we been there in the summer it would have seemed like nothing. All in all it was still a beautiful day in the mountains.

Spanish Creek Snowshoe

The Spanish Peaks are a sub range of the Madison Range in Southwest Montana. One of the main entrances to the Spanish Peaks is the Spanish Creek trail head accessed by driving on a public road through Ted Turners ranch. There is a large campground and a forest service cabin at the trail head making this is a very popular area in the summer, but in the winter it's pretty quiet. We decided to take advantage of this and plan a little winter getaway. Luckily the cabin doesn't get too many rentals in the winter and we were able to take our pick of weekends. You can drive the road to the trail head until about 4 miles before the cabin. Then it is very easy to follow the rest of the snow covered road to the cabin and other trails.

This was going to be Derricks first backpacking/snowshoeing trip so an easy four miles was about all we were looking for. The nice thing about the cabin is that it has beds and a wood fired stove so we were able to pack pretty light. The road climbs slightly, but at a gradual grade. The weekend we chose turned out to be on the warm side which was nice, but also caused the snow to become a bit slushy. It was fine when we started out in the morning, but as the day warmed up we found ourselves hiking through a slushy mess. Luckily the snow on the road wasn't too deep so we were able to manage.

Breaking Trail

The hike in was nice. It is very open giving you beautiful views of the mountains looming in the distance. We only saw a couple of ski tracks, no people. On the way in and as we neared the camping area we were breaking fresh trail. It was amazingly quiet. The cabin was nice. It stayed pretty warm once we got the stove going. It was a real treat to be able to cook a meal with real dishes and not on a camping stove. Many people had left behind little additions (candles, cards, whiskey) that made the cabin very homey.

Looking out at the Spanish Peaks

Approaching Spanish Creek

The one downfall of the night was discovering my newer shoes had given me some nickle sized blisters on the back of my heels. Unfortunately my feet had gotten wet and cold in the slush and I hadn't realized how bad it was getting until I stopped. I did my best to bandage my wounds the next morning, but needless to say the hike out was slow going. Every step seemed to hurt my now raw sores. Eventually the pain subsided but we took almost twice as long going back to the car as we did coming in. Minus the blisters, it was a nice weekend. Really good to get out after such a long cold winter.

Our little home for the night

To get to the cabin: Head south on Highway 191 from Bozeman. Turn right on the Spanish Creek Rd (about 13 miles after Four Corners). Take the gravel road for about 5.5 miles. At the end of the gravel you hit a paved road going south. This is where the snow usually begins.

Map of the Hike

A Frozen Grotto Falls

Grotto falls is the first of a series of waterfalls along the Hyalite Mountain trail. They're quite popular in the summer, but are possibly more spectacular in the winter. Only 2.5 miles round trip, this is an easy snowshoe. When winter temperatures are cold enough the falls freeze creating a cove like affect. You can cross the creek on a large downed tree and explore the frozen grotto.

Behind the ice

Hanging out in the grotto