Walking in the Snow

Spending the weekend out of town with my favorite hiking companion and we decided to head up to Mount Baker for some snowshoeing.  The day was warmer (around 37 F) and it was misting up at Heather Meadows, typical weather for winter recreation in the Northwest.  The skiiers and boarders were soaked and after about an hour wandering around with showshoes, so were we.

My Favorite Companion

Her Favorite Companion

Not having done this before, I expected that it would be more difficult than hiking, which it was.  What I learned is that it was much easier than I expected.  We strapped the showshoes on and started walking.  Our poles didn't quite work like we'd expected (they didn't lock into place), so we left them in the car.

I now understand how easy it is to get lost in the back country.  There are no trails, no signs, and the only landmarks are basically snow covered trees and mountains.  So, we didn't get too adventurous, just walking around the meadows for an hour.  It was still a bit of work.  Didn't work up too much of a sweat but we were soaked by the time we returned. 

Got a bit of hiking in at elevation 4300 feet.  Between the heavy boots, snowshoes and elevation, it was easy to get winded.  Now I have to figure out how to get more training at elevation.

28 lbs

Whoa, a week between posts.  Apparently, a quick trip to Oklahoma City, Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers playing on two different days made it difficult to post, much less exercise.  However, I did in a way practice my backpacking skills. 

My computer backpack with computer and books, etc, weighed 15 lbs.  My suitcase with clothes, tools and cameras (for work) weighed 13 lbs.  So I slung one bag over one shoulder and the other bag over the other shoulder and simulated a 28 lb backpack.  Of course, all the weight was on the shoulders which is not the way it is when backpacking, but it was better than nothing. 

This week is pretty busy too, with meetings every night this week, so we'll see how much posting I get in.  This weekend we're heading to spend a long weekend at Birch Bay (just south of the Canadian border) and if the weather cooperates, we'll head up to Mount Baker to try out hand at showshoeing.  Gail and I got snowshoes for Christmas last year, but the weather didn't cooperate.  However, La Nina is going to help us this year, since there's quite a bit of snow.