Big Slide (January)

It’s been two full months since I did any hiking. In the past week, I’ve barely even gone outside at all! So while I would have liked to have done something more substantial, I decided to pick some low-hanging fruit with a trail guaranteed to be broken out.

It was, as suspected, well-traveled. But that meant my late morning arrival at the Garden parking lot had no open spaces. Out comes the shovel, and I dug out a spot, which I guess was a good way to warm up. But then a pair of young ladies show up in their front-wheel drive, and no shovel. So I dug out their space, too.

By the start of the hike, at 9°F (-13°C), I was already sweating. Lesson learned: Take off the layers prior to shoveling.

The trail to Big Slide was hard-packed snow the whole way. Perfect for snowshoes. No ice the whole way. Sadly, most people were not wearing snowshoes, so on the return they gashed giant pockmarks descending the steep parts of the Brothers. So the trail was not quite as nice leaving as it was starting.

I had hoped for views, but the clouds did not cooperate. It was still pretty even without the dramatic backdrop.