TO GO OR NOT TO GO?
TO SNOWSHOE OR WATERSHOE?
The phone calls were flying back and forth: Are the roads
open? How much snow is left at the mountain?
Is it raining now? Should we cancel?
After being housebound with all the snow in December and the cold, cold
January weather and all those inches of melting rain with slides everywhere,
would there be anyplace to snowshoe at all?
Our trip leader, Mary Lloyd, had purchased the groceries and
all the arrangements had been made.
“Let’s go” she yelled, “we can always play games, drink wine, and hot
tub if we can’t snowshoe!”
We drove to the Copper Creek Lodge with nary a problem on
empty roads. What a special lodge with a
giant fireplace and a hot tub over the creek (which wasn’t overflowing!) The bedrooms were perfect with quaint quilts
and the whole lodge reeked comfortable.
Appetizers were laid out as well as a couple of bottles of
wine. Now, as you all know, a couple of
bottles of wine don’t go very far with 12 people partaking of it. Barbara Reed had not arrived yet and she had
the rest of the stash in her vehicle!!
So, being the smart trip leader she is (and not wanting rebellion right
from the start of the trip), our Mary made a rush trip to Ashford for more wine
to calm down the restless tribe.
After a great dinner of soup and salad, we settled down to a
fun game of crazy hats and strange, very
strange, book readings. It was one of those games where you had to be
there to appreciate it!
Saturday was gloomy, but we set off for Longmire as the road
to Paradise was closed. Everybody got their snowshoes on and off we
trekked through the woods to Cougar Rock Campground. We stopped for lunch and Mary put her plastic
garbage bag down and tried to sit on it without first making a flat area. You guessed it~~ she slid right down the
slope! Our lunches were fabulous with
all the fixings laid out that morning and hot soup too. A snowball fight soon commenced and Mary
tried sledding, but to little avail.
Some started back while others went around the campground and down to
the river and snow shoed along the river and then back to Longmire. It was a good day for most, but Mary
apparently had a problem with her ankle and pole. I asked her what happened and in her own
words: No big news
with the ankle…I roll them more often than pie dough. (How the hell do
you roll your ankle with a snowshoe under it?!) It wasn’t when we
were on the narrow part of the trail above the water, so I am thankful.
The pole was much 
weirder. The lower piece just snapped off when I pulled
it out of the snow a few minutes after I rolled the ankle as we started back
from the amphitheater. (We were working with rather muscular snow…)
Diane suggested I lengthen the other two sections as far as they would, which
gave me “almost a pole”. That broke about ten minutes later—again under
no particular stress—wasn’t attacking a bear or running off a cougar with
it. Then I had a riding crop—which was actually helpful when we got to
the skinny spot because the hill was so steep I could shove it in on the upside
and get a firmer stance than without it. And REI was very nice about
replacing both poles.
Barbi Courtney had just jumped in the shower when the lights
went out! So that was why they said to
bring flashlights!! Since 4 of us were
ensconced in the Dreamweaver Cabin,
We quickly changed our clothes and headed down to the “big
house” where the generator hummed in the kitchen. Dinner of Shrimp and fettuccine by
candlelight was well received along with wine tasting of course. When the
lights came on, we put Mama Mia in the DVD player and danced the night away.
Mel and Barbi Courtney stole away for some private time. Maybe he had seen enough of 12 other women!!
Sunday we woke up to drizzle and rain. Our
Dreamweaver Cabin was all dressed for another
day of snow shoeing when we arrived for breakfast, but upon looking at the
others at the table, we knew no way in hell were they going anywhere but home!!
What a wonderful trip and everyone agreed that we want to do
it again next year!! The first time
snowshoers had a ball and just wait until they go when there is nice new snow
and not old rained up heavy stuff!! Thanks for a great trip Mary and for all the wonderful food
and all the hard, hard, work!! Submitted by Sandee Miner