Skyline Lake Snowshoe

Jonathan, Adam and I left Duvall at 5:30AM to get up to Stevens Pass before dawn. After working out some kinks in new equipment (and giving Adam a hard time for wearing women's snowshoes), we pointed our snowshoes straight uphill and started climbing to Skyline Lake (full trail description).

Here is our assessment:

1. You can follow the service road most of the way up. It's hard work when covered in fresh powder, but much easier than going straight up the mountainside.
2. A quarter mile from the lake, the service road veers off toward the wrong direction. If fresh snow has covered the tracks of others, make sure you bear left when the road zig zags to the right one last time time.
3. You *can* follow the road back down, but I recommend running straight downhill. You can make it from the lake to your car in just under 20 minutes.

Five Below

In an ancient family tradition dating back 4 years, Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the snowshoe season. Whilst enjoying Eden, my brother, dad, and I donned our winter garb and set out at daybreak.

When we started down the trail, the temperature was -5. My newfound beard quickly froze over.

Fresh snow. Note the elk tracks behind us.

The latest photo from a series James entitled "Cain and Abel."

That's right... my dad didn't bring proper gloves or pants yet somehow the ski goggles made it in his suitcase.