8,500′ up on a snowshoeing hike through the Wasatch Mountains, it was just me & B, Doris & Jeff from Atlanta & our spunky guide, Sonya. Surrounded by fluffy, powdery snow, bare aspen trees & fat pine trees, the only sound was the crunch of snow under our feet & our warm breath against the icy air. It was perfection.
When we were planning our trip to Park City, I was poking around the Canyons’ website (the resort where we stayed) & I noticed they offered snowshoeing tours. I was intrigued: B & I have hiked a lot, but always in the summer & definitely never in snowshoes. Feeling a bit adventurous, we signed up.
Our little group took the gondola up the mountain &, after weaving through skiers & snowboarders flying down the mountain, made our way to a little red shack full of snowshoe equipment. A few minutes later, we were all outfitted with our gear – 25″ snowshoes for boys, 23″ for girls – &, poles in hand, off we went.
We set out on the Mid Mountain Trail, a combo hiking & mountain biking trail in the warmer months. Sonya stopped a lot during our hike, to make sure we weren’t huffing & puffing too hard, as we climbed up about 800′. It wasn’t actually as hard as I thought it would be & my non-athletic self was really enjoying it.
Soon we made it up to the mountain ridge, with nothing but powdery snow (something that was almost nonexistent at lower elevations), a tranquil frozen lake & a chairlift zipping overhead.
Throughout the hike, we saw moose tracks & snowshoe hare tracks. We were surrounded by thousands of aspen trees (fact: aspen trees are actually one giant organism connected by a complex root system & the grove of them in Park City is amongst the largest in the U.S.).
(C) Christina Saull – All Rights Reserved
It was a little muddy at times in places where the snow had melted, but we didn’t let that dampen our spirits. One of the highlights of the hike was coming across an area of deep, pristine snow. Sonya pointed us in the right direction & sent us ahead to forge our own path, making fresh tracks in the snow.
The moral of this story? Don’t be afraid to try now things when you’re traveling – you might just discover a new sport you love.
Know if you go…
– group snowshoe tours happen daily at Canyons resort at 10am & 2pm & costs $80 per person. You can book in advance or book with the activities staff when you arrive.
– interesting fact: Aspen bark has the same pain killing quality as aspirin
– another interesting fact: powdery resin on the outside of Aspen trees is the equivalent of SPF 5
– you definitely want hiking boots/shoes or something waterproof on your feet & a pair of ski pants for this experience
Thank you to Canyons Resort, who provided our complimentary snowshoe tour. All opinions are my own, though – this really was one awesome way to spend an afternoon!
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