After a few summer backpacking trips under our belts, Luke and I decided to try our hand at snowshoeing. Fully dedicating ourselves to the task (i.e. being ignorant and impulsive), we purchased two pairs of snowshoes and began to plan our first overnight trip in the snow.
As first time showshoers, we decided to over-pack so as to not, well, die. Our packs each weighed 45-50 pounds and included items such as: 2 sleeping bags (each!), an extra pair of boots, 4 layers of cloths, a shovel, and - my personal favorite - a "matchet." Now for some explaining. While thinking about items that we may need for camping in the snow, Luke decided that it would be good to have a hatchet. When he went looking for said hatchet, he found a 5 pound hunk of metal from the 80's, applied a pound of duct tape to the handle, and appropriately named it his "matchet." He reasoned that the large, heavy steel blade (no doubt coupled with his brute beard) made him look manly. Thus, in an moment of sheer brilliance, a manly hatchet became a "matchet." Step aside K9's, there is a new sherif in town (get it? man's best friend...)!
Excited for a starlit night of spooning in the wilderness, we left for our destination.
We decided that we were going to park in Lakeshore (Huntington Lake) and head north-west towards Nellie Lake.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sierra/recreation/wilderness/trailheads/kaiser/index.shtml
Once we arrived, we thought it would be good to start at the nearby Deer Creek Trailhead and attempt to follow any semblance of a trail. We walked up and down numerous roads and in-between and around countless cabins, searching for the trailhead. Finally, after about an hour, we found the trailhead; only to realize that it would be impossible to follow the dirt trail underneath the 3 feet of snow.
We hiked all day, blazing trails through snow we, at times, wished we were snowboarding down instead of walking up.
As the sun was going down, we realized that we were not going to make it to Nellie Lake. So we decided to camp on a steep slope, near a stream (yeah, a steep slope, near a stream, during winter).
We dug out the side of the slope to give us a flat area to camp - an activity Luke seemed to thoroughly enjoy.
Don't let the light fool you, these pictures were taken in the morning. When we were actually setting up camp it looked more like this. (also notice in this picture: the infamous matchet)
We spent the night warming our frail bones by the fire, in preparation for the frigid night to come.
When we awoke in the morning, after a surprisingly warm night sleep, we decided to eat breakfast in the tent - so as to avoid the freezing temperature outside our sleeping bags.
There is a funny story about me spilling our breakfast and Luke eating it off of the sleeping bags. However, I have run out of creative writing steam and lack the ability to retell it with the gusto it deserves.
The trip back to the truck, being almost all downhill, was quick and easy. When we arrived at the truck we were very satisfied with our first ever snowshoe trip and excited for the many to come.
(Moment of disclosure: while writing this entry I came to realize that this blog probably exists for me to entertain myself with seemingly witty or mildly comical prose. However, I also realize that my writing skills, and some may say my humor, leave much to be desired. So thanks to anyone who reads this for humoring me!)
