Capped off a great weekend of snowshoeing with a short jaunt along the Lakeshore Trail before the downlake boat ride. We set out around 10:15am, with a turn-around time of 11:45am to make the 1:30pm sail time. It was interesting to see the trail covered in snow instead of balsam root and lupine.
We met hard, crunchy snow from the beginning, and snowshoes were definitely overkill. The trail was broken for 3/4 mile, after which we were following big cat tracks. They didn't appear to be recent, and neither did the scat on the trail.
We started breaking trail, trying not to completely obliterate the cougar tracks so people in the back of our group could see them. I use "breaking trail" liberally here - we sank maybe 3 inches with each step. Soon after that we came across some little cat tracks. Based on the proximity with the bigger ones, I reckon we were close to a den. There were some rocky cliffs above us - seems a likely spot for them to hang out.
At 1.15 miles there is a tree across the trail. We had to crawl under and through the branches - somewhat difficult with snowshoes and poles. From 1.5 miles onward, the trail is mostly melted out from the bright sunshine we've had the past few days. We reached a creek at 1.75 miles and turned back.
In total, 1hr 15min out, 1hr back.
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