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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Echo Basin, Eastern Washington

Echo Basin was our last early spring hike in the Eastern Washington area. We were planning to hike the Frenchman Coulee side that heads toward the waterfall but changed our mind due to the amount of cars parked at the trail head. So down the road just a little ways we went to hike the Echo Basin trail. Even with a early start the sun was way too bright, not hot, just bright. We hiked up the jeep trail that starts on the left hand side of the road as your facing the Columbia River. Didn't seem like a real exciting trail till we reached the sand dunes, which put us closer to the rock walls. Up and over the sand dunes and on up a goat trail to get above the walls. Without really knowing were we were going we just winged it. Lots of faint trails and trails in the sand, hard to know which was the true trail. The rock walls are huge and fascinating, the columns are even more interesting up close. We hiked until we had a view looking down into Echo Basin, and a nice look at th

Cutthroat Trail.......Snowshoeing North Cascades Highway

I have a confession to make, I have been having some winter blues. Not sure if they can be officially called winter blues due to we have had little to no winter. I have been very impatiently waiting for the snow to arrive, it comes, blows through, makes the ground white, then its gone. The last few days we have been sitting at temperatures in the 40's. What is up with winter. One thing I can say for sure is I am very thankful for the few trips we made up highway 20 before the silver star gate was closed. Our trip to Cutthroat Trail was back in November, when we had visions of winter coming to the valley very soon. The snow was nice and fluffy and deep. Pleasant day to get out and enjoy it, one of those days where your not sure if the clouds where going to allow the blue sky to show it self or not. We parked right off the highway with a couple of other cars and Snowshoed up the road to the trail head. Wasn't very long and more hikers, cross country skiers, and furry

Looking For Mountain Views....................

Since I couldn't get anybody to go snowshoeing with me this last weekend....I went on a drive and took pictures.....It was a lovely day...lots of variation in the clouds...started down on the Columbia River in Pateros and continued on down towards Chelan...stopped at the park...which has a great view of the mountains...then on up around Manson...drove as many roads as I could looking for the best view of the mountains....drove a couple of roads I have never been on....what a festive little town Manson is right now....Drove on up towards Echo Ridge trail area...roads got a little on the icy side up in that area....then found my way back home....now I have a camera card or two loaded with pictures...plus basketball pictures.....lots of computer time...The season is moving right along...lots of new snow in the mountains...Can't wait to get out there and play.

Lost In The Right Direction

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