Sun Mountain Lodge Snowshoe Trails...................

Saturday was grey and overcast in the Pateros area...we ventured up the icy Methow Valley road to Sun Mountain to snowshoe....What a beautiful blue sky day....15 degrees...very slight wind and lots of sun shine....Not ever visiting Sun Mountain in the winter time we were not real sure on what to expect.....luckily the parking lot wasn't to full...so parking was easy....made our way into the lodge for a $5 snowshoe pass for the day....being totally out of our element when it comes to ski areas and such...we had to have a little help figuring out how to attach it to our coats....ask some directions to the best snowshoe trail with a view.... re-parked and hit the trail....well we didn't take the one we were directed to first...but ended up with beautiful views of the valley floor...Winthrop and surrounding mountains....We headed out on Kraule trail....it tends to stay pretty close to the edge of the mountain and circles around and then meets up with View Point Trail....the trails are very well maintained...snow was pretty packed down and easy to snowshoe on.....there is so much to see that we spent just as much time snowshoeing as we did stopping and enjoying the views....crossed onto View Point Trail which gives you a nice view of frozen Patterson Lake....a few ups and downs....nothing to strenuous.....as we meandered by the ski trails on our way back down to the parking area....lovely views...the mountains were nice and clear mostly...the weather was perfect for a winter day....the trails are worth the $5 to snowshoe on them....I am sure we will return...there is more trails to explore....couldn't ask for a better first time visit to Sun Mountain Lodge in the winter time.....I might just explore these trails on a spring day.....I am sure the views are just as good then....

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The Places We Can Go

Life goes on, things change, storms of life come and go. One thing that always remains the same is the feeling and quiet peace I feel from being in the mountains. This was a spur of the moment overnight trip. It was so needed and such a beautiful time. Left the house around 2:30 PM, traffic was so slow heading up Hwy 20, lots of folks heading out of Mazama. Arrived at the trail head a few minutes before 4 PM, and we were off down the trail in a few minutes. Three quarters of a mile down the trail a bee or some kind of flying ant decided to bite my nieces eye lid, talk about hysteria for a moment. I was pretty sure our trip was over, but we were able to move on with a very cold creek soaked multipurpose face mask. The sun was sinking fast and the wind was howling by the time we reached the top. Made some quick decisions on the best place to park the tents, and we set up camp. It was truly an incredible evening, hiked aroun...

Not all trails are created equal

Beautiful big views, abundance of flowers, snow capped mountains all around and singing birds. I love this hike when the flowers are blooming. This is a hike you can do multiple times in the spring and there is always new flowers blooming. The mountain views are incredible, a nice view of the valley floor looking up towards Mazama and back down towards Twisp. So much to see, hear and enjoy. This is the perfect hike for an evening adventure, not to long, a fairly easy hike, the birds are very active and keep you company as you make the loop. These pictures are only from one side of the loop, I ran out of good light to complete it since I stopped for every flower along the way. When the balsam root is blooming it is a beautiful display of golden flowers, intermixed with lupine and larkspur. I have hiked this trail many times over the years and am always amazed by natures incredible beauty. ...

Maple Pass Trail, North Cascade Hwy

I'm still here.....Times have been busy. Christmas time's a'coming.....Vacation happened, senior picture taking going on, the rain came, it started snowing in the Cascades, more rain, then it snowed some more, pulled out the snowshoes, the pass was shut down for the weekend, Monday rolled around, the pass was closed for the season, surprise.....,felt sorry for myself since I didn't get to snowshoe up high before the pass got shut down, more beautiful snow up high, snowshoed for the 1st time this year, the dog loved it, lots of fun, Thanksgiving happened, houseful of family and friends, lots of good coffee & sweets, visiting and Turkey trotting around town a few times, Christmas time's getting closer, was able to get out and snowshoe in the Winthrop area, more fresh snow, need to go shopping, Christmas time's a'coming......I would rather go roll around in the snow, than fight the crowds shopping for gifts, but snowballs are ha...

Lost In The Right Direction

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