Lake Valhalla Snowshoe — Friday, Nov. 25, 2022

As I have been doing since 2016, on this #OptOutside Friday, I went hiking. The forecast was looking like rain so I picked a hike up high, hoping it would be s now instead of rain. Well, kind of. I started the hike in the rain carrying my snowshoes at 09:00. Trail is well packed so I decided to just hike. There were two guys ahead of me but I passed them when they set up a tarp to get out of the rain for an early lunch. And they decided to head back after that. Eventually the rain turned to snow. I got passed by a couple with their dog while having a snack. I later passed them as they had decided to turn around. I think we were about a mile from the lake. I eventually arrived near the lake just before 13:00. The trail was not as well packed and I had post-holed a few times. Since this was my turn around time, I decided not to go down to the lakeshore which would have meant another quarter mile and elevation loss. I found a semi-sheltered area and ate my hot lunch and drank hot tea. I put on my snowshoes on the way back but it was actually hard and slow going because much of the compacted trail was only 1.5 snowshoes wide. After a mile and a half, I pulled them off and carried them. My speed much improved. I met a couple who were returning to their rental cabin nearby at around 16:00. I lost light and had to dig out my headlamp at 16:40. 20 minutes later, I was back at the trailhead.

More Information on this Trip Report

• https://www.gaiagps.com/public/m9UlZwPzhdrWbO6lyKpXIIvl