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Echo Ridge Trails....The Shoe


Last Saturday...which seems so long ago....life kinda interrupted the normal routine around here....so I am posting my weekend adventure just a tad later than usual....Not knowing what kind of snow conditions we were going to find we went ahead and made our way up to the Echo Ridge Trails above Lake Chelan...Lake Chelan was socked in with fog...very low visibility...but after everything I read online....I was pretty sure we would have clear sky's on top...The road up was in decent shape....icy in spots...nice sign at Echo Ridge Ski area warns you to carry chains....we had them...Don't know how to really use them....the first trail head pull out...Zoom...we stopped purchased a parking/trail pass....over 18 years of age $10.00 a person....decided we wanted to venture higher up with possibly a better view....on up the curvy road to The Shoe trail head....2nd car in the parking area....strapped our shoes on....the view was already spectacular....nice wide open look at the mountains across Lake Chelan....jumped over the snow berm and down onto the trail...we headed out snowshoeing straight towards the mountains....the snow was just a tiny bit cruncher and harder than what we have been snowshoeing in....no poles were needed...the trail is pretty well used....by hikers and snowshoers....someone hiked it on a warm day and left a deep track through the snow...makes it interesting to snowshoe over the top....the trail is fairly easy....only one section is up hill enough that you have to put any effort into it....the weather was sitting at about 34 degrees on top....quiet a difference than the 23 downtown....we started stripping off layers and packing them away....didn't take much and we were working up a nice sweat....beautiful sunny day....The Shoe trail is a little bit over 3 miles around...circles back to the parking area...gives you a lovely view the whole way of the mountains...and the lake if the fogs not sitting over the top of it....we stopped and watched the snowboarders at the ski area....took someones beaten path to a dead end....trail wasn't marked to let you know it your supposed to go up or continue on....gave us another good view of the mountains before we backed tracked....if they don't receive more snow here soon....spring is on the way up there...the snow is melting...grass is trying to pop out of the ground....lots of folks on the trail for not the best snow conditions...the mountain views are pretty inviting especially with the sun shinning....Next winter we might just come back and explore more of this area....depending on road conditions...very nice trails with lots of views of the mountains and the lake....would be wonderful early spring hikes....



































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