January 2021 - Big Sky
We took a winter trip up to Big Sky where we tried downhill skiing for the first time ever. There were a few scary out-of-control moments but overall it went pretty well. We also took a full day to do a 7-mile snowshoeing hike, which was much more within our comfort zone. The hike was incredible - just a few minutes from the ski areas but there was almost nobody else out there and you really felt like you were out in a vast, white wilderness. In fact halfway through the trial we reached the end of where anyone else had gone since the last snow and it was all us blazing the way through powder to reach the frozen lake at the end!
We also went to Yellowstone as part of this same trip, which was another beautiful place in the snow.
We took a winter trip up to Big Sky where we tried downhill skiing for the first time ever. There were a few scary out-of-control moments but overall it went pretty well. We also took a full day to do a 7-mile snowshoeing hike, which was much more within our comfort zone. The hike was incredible - just a few minutes from the ski areas but there was almost nobody else out there and you really felt like you were out in a vast, white wilderness. In fact halfway through the trial we reached the end of where anyone else had gone since the last snow and it was all us blazing the way through powder to reach the frozen lake at the end!
We also went to Yellowstone as part of this same trip, which was another beautiful place in the snow.
|
|
|
| Snowshoeing in the Beehive Basin | Lone Peak rising above the trees | |
|
|
|
| We saw an ermine run out from a tree, across the snow right in front of us. Too fast to catch on film, but these are his tracks! | Hiking into the basin | |
|
|
|
| The ghost tree | Uphill the whole way in! | |
|
|
|
| Beyond where anyone else has gone since the last big snow - blazing the trail through deep powder! | ||
|
|
|
| My turn to take the point position. It's a lot more work being first through the powder, but a lot of fun. | The visibility at the top of the ridge was incredible, mountains in the far distance were crystal clear | We made it! The end of the trail. |
|
|
|
| The lake nestled in mountains - all frozen over in the winter. | Headed back - instead of steep uphill, now it's steep downhill! | Headed back on the trail that we forged |
|
|
|
| This is our trail! | The circle around the tree is where the existing trail ended. The path coming towawrds us is the new trail that we blazed. | |
|
|
|
| The start of our new trail | It was just us most of the hike. Felt like true wilderness! | |
|
|
|
| Back to the beautiful mountain views on the way down | ||
|
|
|
| Heading up the magic carpet! | ||
|
|
|
| Pizza! | The whole crew after the Big Race, which I lost | |
|
||
| The sun rising over Lone Peak, as seen from the cabin we stayed at |