Snowshoeing! February 22-23, 2014
Susannah and I were tired of waiting for spring to hurry up and happen - so we decided to give an overnight snowshoe a try!
For the record, neither of us are avid snowshoers - I had been out twice last year for a couple hours each.
We decided to head up to Elfin Lakes. We had been watching the weather reports and avalanche warnings waiting for them to get out of the high range. We were lucky and it went down! Off to MEC to collect the reserved snowshoes and avalanche beacon and rescue gear.
Early Saturday morning we head out. Bad weather started blowing in while on the highway, we thought about turning around but toughed it out.
We went down the winding road. It was slick. There were signs everywhere saying that snow tires and chains were recommended. (and I would recommend them.) We eventually reached the lower parking lot - where the sign said Chains were mandatory past this point. We geared up, strapped the snowshoes to our packs - and walked the remaining 2km to the upper parking lot and trailhead. We reached the parking lot and decided that having longjohns, pants and snow pants on was WAY too warm. Stripped down to single layers on top and bottom, then snowpants and jackets go back on.
The trail was well packed at the beginning so we carried the snowshoes.
Once we got into a little bit deeper snow, we took off the snowshoes. The packs were so much lighter!
It was a beautiful day. We were warm as long as we were moving, which we did. It was pretty easy and relaxing up to Red Heather Hut - an emergency shelter and popular lunch stop. It is 5km along the official trail, so 7km of our journey.
The inside was cozy. There was a wood fire place. On the way in, the fire had been stoked and it was toasty warm. They have propane ranges, so no camp stoves required, which is good, since it takes A LOT of snow to get a little water. Our poor camp stoves would have have had to burn a lot of fuel to get enough water. This hut is a also a great day destination for skiers and snowshoers for the hill right near the hut. We even saw people with toboggans and snowboards.
As we continued on there was more and more snow. There was a lot of white. Lets just say sunglasses were an excellent choice, the glare was extra crazy as the snow was also coming down.
After another 6km (11km official trail, 13km from the car), which included uphill sections, downhill sections, really deep snow sections (we decided in the future we need to pack our bags as light as possible while still being safe), we arrived at the Elfin Lakes Hut!! What a beautiful site! At this point we are getting a little tired - and are feeling pretty proud of ourselves. We couldn't see the lakes - the clouds were too low and it was snowing too hard.
This hut is pretty sweet. This is from the center of the hut facing the front door. There are 2 picnic tables on this side of the room. When we arrived there was a large crew of kids and they wore their boots in the hut. We were quickly informed by those who frequently visit the huts, that it is proper etiquette to remove your boots at the door like you would a house. It makes sense as there was slush on the floors and they were gross.
This is the kitchen side. There are 2 sinks (no running water) and 2 x 2 burner propane stoves. There are stock pots provided for melting & boiling water. (This is a major plus - one stock pot of snow melts down to a tenth of the pot - it takes a lot of pots of snow to get some water). There are also 2 more picnic tables.
These are the stairs up to the second level where the sleeping quarters are.
Welcome to the 33 person bunks. The top level sleeps one person, the bottom is a double bunk. There is no privacy. Let's just say bring ear plugs (preferably headphones and music) as there gets to be quite the symphony of snoring!
So you may have been wondering where the facilities are in this hut - they aren't! You have to haul your butt outside and go to the enclosed outhouse. There are several stalls inside. It was not as chilly as you would expect - but not heated either!
There were also solar panels on this hut. There were propane lights, and even propane heat if it dipped below a certain temperature. They did not keep this place warm. Slippers were needed and fleece and/or a light jacket.
There were also a crazy couple tenting it! We talked to them for a bit, very nice couple who does this all the time. They don't like the snoring, but like the cooking facilities.
Earlyish the next day - up we get and off we go! We looked at the new snow on the snowshoes - there was at least a foot of new snow overnight. And it was another day of snowing. You can barely see the trail! good thing we have big orange poles to mark the way.
We can sort of see the mountain!
It was a beautiful snowshoe trip that I would absolutely do again. I cannot remember how long it took us, so I can't tell you! We took our time, didn't rush, and had full packs on our back.
The official trail is 11 km and 600 m elevation change, tag on the 2 km from the car (no idea what the elevation change was) and it was a 26km weekend.
The pictures don't really do this trail justice - you'll just have to come with us next year!