Snowshoeing yesterday was challenging. Temperatures as of late have been above freezing during the day and below freezing at night. This pattern creates mushy snow. Our adventure was in the local school forest: we snowshoed the three-mile long, very hilly TIm Murphy Loop. It would not have been possible, or certainly not worth selecting this route, if it were not for the fact that a local guy has been snowshoeing this trail all winter. The trail was narrow: if you went mere inches off the established path, even with snowshoes you sunk into what seemed nothingness. These slush holes caused us all to fall at least once. The slush made it difficult to get back up. Despite the tough conditions, I enjoyed the trek a lot. First of all -- the woods were beautiful. The hilly terrain is a challenge, but is a geologic treasure. I have been working all winter to edge my way back into shape. Although I was glad to see the car, I handled the challenge yesterday just fine. In total, our adventure lasted five hours. Then, on the way back into town we noticed a carnelian-red band of sky on the horizon under a thick cloud bank. We were able to get to the boardwalk at Agate Beach just in time to get some photos. Thanks adventure partners for a fantastic afternoon/evening.
From the parking lot located the other side of the bridge, we headed north to snowshoe the trail in a clockwise direction. The hills start around a mile from the parking lot.
Our lunch included bok choy sandwiches, home-made salad (in the jars), home-made trail mix, oranges, apples, and chips. Delicious! We took one break in the valley after the first big hill, and a second break when we arrived at the Sucker River (half mile to the car).
Views from our first picnic spot are below.
After the first break we continued on our way......
In the spring, high sun angles reflect off the trunks to melt the snow around the trees and create these cool circular patterns.
Our second picnic spot was along the Sucker River.
Sunset photos taken after we arrived back in town. What a great day!
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