snowshoeing in the sierra

“I went on my first longish (about 6 miles total) snowshoe trip yesterday. Two friends and I went up Ice House Road past Union Valley Resevoir and hiked up to Robb's Hut. There is a fire watchtower and a bunkhouse there. The view was amazing - we could see the Sutter Buttes peaking out of the fog, and Mt Diablo etc. But once we got to the top it was windy and cold cold cold. We ate as much as we could before turning into icicles then headed down cross country to the trail.

I am not much of a winter sports gal so I wasn't quite prepared clothing wise. As long as we were hiking everything was fine but when we stopped in the windstorm I was thankful that my friend always overpacks and had an extra windbreaker. The actual hiking was harder than I expected, especially when I was in the front. The snow was about 3 feet deep and of course I got my shoes tangled a couple of times and fell down, not fun.

In the balance, I think I much prefer hiking. I like to work real hard to get to a beautiful place then rest for a long stretch then head back out. This was not an option for this trip. But I am really glad I went. I have been getting a bit stir-crazy.

This trip was right below where the February Frozen Fanny trip will be. The road was well groomed and we had no problem getting up there with a Subaru.

It's a good thing we went yesterday, today is raining like the dickens in the valley and probably not good driving conditions in the Sierra.”

“This looks like a cut n' paste job. Are you sure you went hiking in that snow Pepper?”

“mr pot, meet miss kettle.”

“Pepper, you can rent that hut for a nominal fee, it's a fairly popular winter activity with the snow shoers and xc skiers.”

“Solitary - You dirty dog - giving away my secrets!!! after all, I learned from the best (you).

Dunk - yeah, we picked up a brochure at the ranger's station. It is $45 per night. But I don't think I could have made it with a pack. Maybe dragging a sled.”

“LOL”

“PepperDawg what's your location? I'm in Fairfield. I'm new to the West and all it's high elevation winter glories, so speaking of pack and sled, when's the best time to use each??”

“Nekked - I live in Davis. As I said before, I don't do much winter stuff. I don't like dealing with bad travel conditions (and their accompanying bad traffic). I just figured that trying to snowshoe with an extra 40 pounds would be much more work than I like to do, so a sled seemed like a better option. I am much more of a spring, summer, fall outdoorsey person. It sounds like Wanderer (in Sac) and others would be much better sources of information about snow play than I.”

“Pulling a sled is easier, if the trail is wide enough, not too much brush.

A great place to check out for snowshoeing or XC skiing is Kings Canyon, Sequoia NP areas. I've stayed in a private inholding town called Wilsonia several times, but not in several years. Very cool to be in the snow under the giant ones.”

“Just finished my gear sled, I'm taking it to Lassen tomorrow for it's maiden voyage. My pack is heavier in winter, thought a sled would make life easier, I'll let yo'all know how it works out.”

“Nice report pepperdog, thanks!”

“PepperDog, teach your dog Pepper to pull that sled...make him/her earn it's food.”

“Stanlee - I don't think that would work. She weighs about 42 pounds and would have a hard time going through deep snow even without a sled. Good thought, though.”