The Snowshoe Gang. Gary Richer and Bear on the far left.
Remembering the times in the past when we put together group snowshoe treks Erik and I decided to put one together for Aviation Maintenance [a work group]. We were pretty happy that we got some takers on what we hope will be an annual event.
Ten of us met up at Gold Creek at Snoqualmie Pass [Washington State] on Sunday morning. Conditions were perfect for snow shoeing. We had fresh powder, temperatures just below freezing, and everyone was full of enthusiasm. It was pretty easy going as the snow had a good base and the new powder wasn't so deep as to make the going too tough. Further into the woods there was a little more snow and as we progressed out to about four miles we were in territory that hadn't been traveled lately - so the last mile or two we were breaking trail. About the last half mile the snow was getting deeper and we had been trekking for over two hours so we dicided to stop for lunch. We found a large tree on it's side and we took shelter under it's root canopy - a great spot. We had two jet boils going so we could make hot soup to add to any snacks. After resting for about an hour and getting re-energized we headed back. Our time getting back took about two hours - which looked like it was just enough of an enjoyable workout for everyone.
Stats: 8 miles RT, 500 feet of gain, everyone was happy and enjoyed the day.