To put it mildly, last winter’s minimal snowfall was dissapointing. We only got out on one snowcamping outing, and there was so little snow that we were able to have a campfire in a ring that was melted out. We’re now officially ahead of last winter’s snow tally by getting out for an overnight snowshoe this weekend near Shaver Lake.
Highway 168 has a bunch of sno-parks, but most cater to snowmobilers. For me, the joy of being out in the backcountry in winter is the solitude and peace and quiet that is difficult to find in the summer. Therefore, I don’t like going to places where I’ll be interrupted by the annoying buzz of snowmobiles. Fortunately there are a couple of areas along 168 that are snowmobile-free ski trailheads, but we discovered that these are packed with families who come to picnic and sled, making things a bit difficult.
After cramming our vehicles into the last empty spaces at the Coyote Sno-Park, we hit the trail with the Bowlders and Naviguesser. The first 100 feet involved dodging screaming sledders, but within 1/4 mile we were in that perfect winter solitude and quiet – except for the crunch crunch crunch of our snowshoes. The day was perfect; sunny, and warm enough that I only needed a single wool layer to stay comfortable. After a short while we decided to set up camp on a small point that had a nice view of the southern Sierra, where we could also keep our tents and kitchen down a bit in case the wind picked up.
By evening the temperature dropped steeply and we sat around in our kitchen sharing stories, food, and hot drinks. At about 9 pm, when my thermometer read about 15 degrees, I decided it was time for bed and crawled into my cozy -20 degree sleeping bag. I had a great night of sleep, like usual. I sleep better in a tent in the mountains than I do in my own bed at home.
In the morning the temperature was the same, but as the sun came out it warmed up once again. The Bowlders were lucky enough to spend another night out there, but Dave, Navi and I headed out and were back to the (busy) trailhead by noon. Back at home now, I’m feeling happy and refreshed from my first snow overnighter of the season. I’m looking forward to getting out for many more, as long as mother nature lets me.
