Spring Snowshoeing

When the grass is turning green and the trees are starting to bud out, it’s hard to think of snow and snowshoeing. But this is one of the best times of the year to grab a pair and get high up in the mountains. The scenery is amazing. It’s still a winter wonder land. And the weather is gorgeous. It feels like summer. When else can you tramp through snow wearing shorts and a t-shirt?

We hiked up to three alpine lakes – Lake Bourgeau, Rockbound Lake, Taylor Lake – and at Stanley Glacier we enjoyed a sweltering afternoon watching avalanches thunder down high cliffs.

You see strange things in spring. Like the marmot who snuck up on Michael and stole his hat, then disappeared silently across the snow. As soon as I pointed it out, the marmot froze and Michael swore it was just a rock.

Then you see things like snow sluffing off a slope and somehow rolling itself into the shape of a cinnamon bun. Actually, as crazy as it sounds, it’s almost impossible to make a snowball and roll down a hill when the snow is this sticky. With visions of Indiana Jones in our heads, we’ve tried to push massive snowballs down steep slopes in hopes that they would crash through the forest and crush all the cars in the parking lot below. But they just roll up into fat, long cinnamon buns. Then – plump! – they splat heavily into the snow. Nothing can move them then.

Nature does a much better job of hurtling snow over cliffs. As we got up into the alpine we thought we heard thunder. Only it was the intense sound of massive snow & ice chunks crashing down from the cliffs. This goes on all afternoon. It’s one of nature’s greatest shows. And it’s all free.

The best part of snowshoeing in spring is seeing nature come back alive. All shades of green start to return, adding colour to the deep blue sky and bright white ground. Birds sing and squirrels dart from tree to tree.

Winter and summer mix together. Minute by minute snow melts away letting even more life and colour appear. As nature transitions, so will we. Soon, we’ll be packing away the skis and snowshoes and digging out the hiking boots. And as we wander through fields of freshly bloomed wildflowers we’ll be dreaming of the return of snow.