carson pass snowshoeing

Today I went snowshoeing with some friends from my small group. Originally it was supposed to be an overnight trip, but we ended up changing it to a day trip instead.

The trailhead was the Carson Pass sno-park, same as last weekend. Here we strapped on our snowshoes and began our hike into the Mokelumne Wilderness.

The snow cave that I had dug out the week before was still there. Kiefer tested it out. “It’s a little big,” he said. That’s probably because I’m a little big compared to him…

Group shot in front of Round Top and the Three Sisters (the mountains in the background.)

We hiked out towards the Elephant’s Back or more specifically, Winnemucca Lake, which is close to the base of the Elephant’s Back.

We stopped for lunch near the shores of Winnemucca Lake.

Then we went sledding by the shores of Winnemucca Lake. It was pretty fun, although hiking back up was pretty tiring.

On our way back home we missed a turn and ended up having to go down a steep slope. Kiefer, in front in the red jacket, makes it look really easy.

Originally this was supposed to be an overnight trip, but I ended up changing it to a day trip because I was worried that we wouldn’t do well on an overnight trip. It was most people’s first time snowshoeing, and a few people in the group hadn’t gone backpacking before. We had no problems at all though, and we got to Winnemucca Lake really quickly, so I think we would’ve had no problems with an overnight trip.

I think I’m wary about bringing people snow camping because I still remember that one night James and I dug out an awesome snow cave, complete with two beds and a cold well, only to end up wet and cold and unable to stop shivering. I honestly thought that I could die of hypothermia that night. That memory still sticks in my mind, so I’m a bit wary of bringing people into that situation.

I’m even more wary about bringing people into the wilderness when I’m the one in charge. I’d rather have someone who is more experienced take the lead on planning, but I guess I could consider myself experienced enough nowadays, and am slightly better at planning trips (although in truth I still kinda loathe planning). So maybe an overnight snow trip is in the cards for the future.

Things I’m thankful for:

• REI equipment rental – it’s a surprisingly painless process to rent equipment for an entire group there…
• friends who are down to try hiking / snowshoeing despite my crappy planning skills