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Jennie, Kane and I snow-shoed in Royal Gorge Cross-Country Ski
Resort.
When we arrived at Royal Gorge in the morning, it was raining.
Not a driving rain -- just a light drizzle. But still, it was
raining, not snowing. After some discussion, we agreed that we
would snowshoe instead of x-country ski. This was Jennie's first
time snowshoeing; Kane and I had done it the week before.
Even though it was raining, it was about freezing temperature
outside. I had my long wicking underwear, snow pants, fleece pullover,
and waterproof/breathable jacket with hood. On top of that, I
had my balaclava, hat, goggles, and Gore-tex gloves. My favorite
accessory was the balaclava -- a very thin piece of clothing (worn
over the head and neck) which made a world of difference in keeping
me warm.
We started out on the Big Ben trail. There were a few skiers,
but not nearly as many people as had been there the previous day,
when conditions had been much better. After 2km, almost completely
flat, we reached the base of the Kat's Walk lift. We continued
on up the Kat's Walk trail, then up the Castle Pass trail to a
warming hut.
All this time, it continued to drizzle. We stayed mostly dry,
although my feet would suffer a bit at the end. I was wearing
my every day shoes, which are day hiking shoes (not my normal
hiking shoes). They're not waterproof. While my normal hiking
shoes aren't waterproof, either, they're much better (given their
performance at Cathedral Lake). Before I do any other hike in
the rain or snow, I am definitely going to waterproof my shoes.
The warming hut was a much different sight than the previous week.
The sky was completely clouded over this day, and the warming
hut was actually a comfortable temperature, rather than a sauna.
After stopping for a few minutes, we continued on to Palisade
Peak.
As we walked along the trail, 50-foot trees on either side of
the trail, snow fell. Snow? Rain? The branches of these tall trees
were covered with snow from the previous two days. As the rain
fell and increased the weight, eventually some of it fell. We
could see big chunks of it falling sometimes. I got pelted a few
times. Mostly though, we would just see light snow occasionally
fall throughout the forest. The forest was alive with the sound
of falling snow.
Kane starting a 5.4 climb with his snowshoes on
As soon as we crested a small hill and reached the Palisade Peak,
we started to get buffeted by strong winds. Branches of trees
were pointed in one direction, seeking shelter from the onslaught.
Clouds marred what could have been a great view. When we got close
to the edge, we could see that it was a long way down, but that's
small consolation to the view that we missed.
A tree begging for mercy at Palisade Peak
We retraced our steps back past the warming hut, and then started
up the Castle Pass trail. Our goal was to make the Snow Mountain
warming hut, and then turn around. However, by the time we got
to intersection 42, about a kilometer away from the hut, Jennie
was getting blisters and we were approaching our turn-around time.
We were supposed to meet Jean, who'd gone snowboarding, back at
the lodge.
So we stopped. Jennie put some moleskin on her feet, and we headed
back. It took a little while before we generated enough heat to
make ourselves comfortably warm again. If you don't move in the
cold rain, obviously, it's very easy to see how hypothermia can
set in.
As we were nearing the Half Hitch trail, Jean told us over the
radio that she was back at the lodge. We were still over 2 miles
away, so the range was impressive considering the rain and the
trees. We continued on Half Hitch to Reindeer, and finally back
to Big Ben.
After returning the equipment, all I really wanted to do was stand
in front of the fire and warm my feet. Unfortunately there were
too many people standing around the fire, so I had to be content
with the hot noodle soup Jean had waiting for us. =)
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