the mountains got a little freshening up of snow this week, so thought I would take advantage of it and put together a 10-ish mile loop in the Elkhorns
using a new pack, Ultimate Directions Fastpack 30- bought this with the Bob Marshall Open in mind and need to put it through it's paces; loaded with my typical winter loadout- Apex quilt, eVENT bivy, scored ccf pad- enough shelter stuff to make through a unplanned night out; down jacket, windshirt, windpants, balaclava, mittens, small cook kit and the usual safety bits- first aid, fire kit, headlamp, etc
with food/water & snowshoes it was a little over 10 lbs
the little snowshoes fit perfectly in the stretch side pockets
this is a running style pack, so it has a vest like front with lots of pockets- carrying a 20 oz bottle of water, map/compass, iphone (w/ maps loaded), sunscreen, snacks and electrolytes- everything very handy
the first three miles or so, I just carried my snowshoes- once I started climbing I had to don them- these are MSR Swift snowshoes- made for youth, but fit my size 10 shoes w/o any problem
it got steep in a hurry
the terrain got really tough to negotiate- the snow completely covered the trail and was hard to find the route, it was also very steep with about 6" of powder snow over a couple feet of hard packed snow- lots of tough sidehilling and lots of sliding
views to the west towards the Continental Divide
above Casey Meadows- all downhill from here
Casey Meadows- wishing I was on skis at this point (but not before this!)
time for lunch and a cup of joe
about a mile or so below the meadows, the snow started thinning and the snowshoes went back on my back and finished the last couple of miles at a jog
it was a gorgeous day, started in the mid 20's, finished in the mid 40's- was reminded of my late grandfather who used to say at the simplest of pleasures- I wonder what the poor the people are doing today indeed!
using a new pack, Ultimate Directions Fastpack 30- bought this with the Bob Marshall Open in mind and need to put it through it's paces; loaded with my typical winter loadout- Apex quilt, eVENT bivy, scored ccf pad- enough shelter stuff to make through a unplanned night out; down jacket, windshirt, windpants, balaclava, mittens, small cook kit and the usual safety bits- first aid, fire kit, headlamp, etc
with food/water & snowshoes it was a little over 10 lbs
the little snowshoes fit perfectly in the stretch side pockets
this is a running style pack, so it has a vest like front with lots of pockets- carrying a 20 oz bottle of water, map/compass, iphone (w/ maps loaded), sunscreen, snacks and electrolytes- everything very handy
the first three miles or so, I just carried my snowshoes- once I started climbing I had to don them- these are MSR Swift snowshoes- made for youth, but fit my size 10 shoes w/o any problem
it got steep in a hurry
the terrain got really tough to negotiate- the snow completely covered the trail and was hard to find the route, it was also very steep with about 6" of powder snow over a couple feet of hard packed snow- lots of tough sidehilling and lots of sliding
views to the west towards the Continental Divide
above Casey Meadows- all downhill from here
Casey Meadows- wishing I was on skis at this point (but not before this!)
time for lunch and a cup of joe
about a mile or so below the meadows, the snow started thinning and the snowshoes went back on my back and finished the last couple of miles at a jog
it was a gorgeous day, started in the mid 20's, finished in the mid 40's- was reminded of my late grandfather who used to say at the simplest of pleasures- I wonder what the poor the people are doing today indeed!
