Snowshoeing the West Bench Trail
Saturday, January 8, 2011
My first official trip report of 2011. Amanda had to work in Avon today, so I headed up on the Grand Mesa to get in my first snowshoe trip of the season. There was an inversion in the Grand Valley today, so it was nice to get up above the haze and into warmer temperatures, too! When I set out I wasn’t sure which trail I was going to hit, but when I got up there I decided to head out on the West Bench Trail for a few miles and then head back. I ended up snowshoeing about 4.3 miles, which isn’t bad for my first trip of the season. It definitely was a good workout! The conditions on the Mesa were great and it was a beautiful day. Here’s a few photos from my hike…
Strapping on my snowshoes for the first time this winter
Gauge of how deep the snow is
Passing by the first reservoir
Ice on the branches
Aspens and Snow
Seeing what kind of sunburst I could get out of my S90….this was as good as it gets when stopped all the way down to f8
Selfie
Aspen Shadows
Clearing
After making it back to my Jeep, I made one last stop before heading back down off the Mesa. I stopped at the Union Cafe at Powderhorn for one of their excellent burgers 🙂 It was a great day on the Grand Mesa.