It’s not like Disneyland.  There are no lines, or crowds or stations for fried food.  No strollers and definitely no crying (at least most of the time).

Backpack … loaded.  Extra jacket … stuffed.  Full fuel bottle … to the rim.  Hot chocolate … ample.  Camera battery … fully charged.  Sleeping bag … the big ‘en.

Plentiful fresh powder lined the path allowing my snowshoes to sink a few inches with each step.  Tree boughs held armfuls of snow like a pampered child not wanting to let go and the colors were shades of blue with a dash of bright yellows that dotted the landscape and fell off to the side of the small finger ridge we were walking.

To the top and beyond we circled and awed looking for an unspoiled location to tuck our tent.  Stomping the snow with our snowshoes, the five foot wide, seven foot long space was soon solid and packed.  Changing to dry clothes the sun would shortly set bestowing a colorful array of prism and rewarding with a low lying inversion that hid all that was only moments ago easily seen.   Digging out a small hole and compacting it as tightly as I was able, the pot was already boiling with water for hot chocolate and a dinner of chicken with dressing and craisans.  With hands tucked in gloves movement is slower and more methodical than in the summer months.  The water is more precious and warms the body from tip to toe with every sip and rising steam that thaws chilling nostrils.  Never have I thought my water “too hot” in cold and snowy conditions.

We’ve tucked into our bags and stare outside the double nylon tread layers that when zipped closed protect us from the frigid cold.  It’s dark.  It’s early.  Giggles are infectious on nights like this when life seems to be on the edge of comfortable or no.  The moon is nearly full and as it rises lights up the snow with an unperceivable depth that heightens the senses.

Soon, I wiggle into my sleeping bag and cinch the neck draw before pulling the hood so only my nose slips out of the blue bundle downy fluff.  Not long and I fall asleep snuggly warm.

It is well before dawn when I awake.  Throughout the night the accumulating snow has formed small pinnacles on the top of the tent and slid down with small avalanche gusto.  The edges all around the tent base have an insulating weathering from the growing slides and require a little push once the zips are opened.  Slowly, the rays of the distant sun can be seen over the mountainous clefs and valleys.  Yellow turns to a deeper orange and then blue, purple and pink extend higher as the white of the overnight accrual takes hold and picture perfect as the silent day rouses from the cover of darkness.

Reluctantly I begin to stuff my sleeping bag and shake the remaining snow from the tent fly.  Water is once again boiling for oatmeal that will fuel my muscles with energy and nutrients essential to descend to where I began from yesterday.  Each boot slips into the toe of my snowshoes and I tighten the strap that rounds my heel.  With one final look back I stride forward … one foot in front of the other.

About Step Outdoors, LLC

Step Outdoors wants you to go outside and we lead individually inspired one foot in front of the other adventure pursuits to get you there.  In the summer, we will tailor a first time overnight backpack or a more challenging multi-day hiking adventure just for you.  In the winter, we offer snowshoe hikes appropriate for beginners and for those with a tad more experience.  Perfect for mothers and daughters, couples, families, co-workers or a group of friends, we provide a 100% guarantee of fun.

Check out our blog at http://stepoutdoorscolorado.com/blog/.  Or send us an email at info@stepoutdoorscolorado.com.