We drove up into the mountains on both these days to spend the morning snowshoeing at the Frisco Nordic Center just outside of Frisco, CO. The first morning started off slightly cloudy while the second was very sunny. The photos on this page are from those two mornings and are mingled.
The first day we spent snowshoeing, we stayed on the simplist trail, which was only about a mile long. It was enough for us to relearn the techniques we hadn't used in years...
The second day, we took a longer trail (about three miles) that included a rather hilly section. The snow was starting to thin out however, so it wasn't as pretty. We'll return next year for more of this great outdoor exercise.
The photo on the left shows the trail markers we followed for the first trail. Sometimes, this was the only indication where the trail went, but most of the time, we could follow other people's tracks through the snow where they had packed the trail ahead of us - much easier. The photo on the right shows some humor. This stump was at a place where the trail turned a corner, so it looks like it's unclear which way to go.
.
The three photos above show some of the scenery we saw on our trail. The photo on the left shows the Rocky Mountains above Frisco through a couple of pine trees. The center photo shows Carl nearing the lodge at the Frisco Nordic Center. The photo on the right shows a very old chair lift chair that's been repurposed as a trailside bench. It overlooks Dillon Lake and has an excellent view of the mountains beyond.
These two photos show what the groomed snowshoe path looked like. The photo on the left shows the trail snaking through the trees. The snow is about a foot deep beneath the trail, as we discovered when we stepped off it...
The photo on the right shows Carl admiring the view from another section of the trail.
As you can see, this trail is nicely groomed.
Cross country skiing is more popular than snowshoeing at the Frisco Nordic Center. The photo on the left shows a skier on the trail. She's moving along at a good clip.
.
.
The three photos above show some of the cross country ski trails that cover this facility. The center one is approaching the lodge.
The cross country ski trails lead to some interesting patterns. The photo on the left shows a deep curve that one trail makes. The photo on the right shows some patterns made in the snow. The parallel lines are made by the grooming machine and the lines criss-crossing them are created by a skier climbing this small slope by pushing off each ski alternately.
.
When the sun was shining, we found several nice shadow patterns formed in the snow by the sides of the trails. The three photos above show some of these shadows. The center photo shows a couple of loops of barbed wire making shadows. The other two are formed by branches.
The photo on the left shows some nice tree shadows on the side of a hill. This was the snowshoe trail that climbed a hill, then slid down the other side...
.
.
.
.
These two photos show some more shadow patterns in the snow. These show some dried grasses poking through the snow and the windswept patterns that blown snow made around them.
.
.
The photo on the right shows some small pine seedlings poking through the windswept snow near the banks of Lake Dillon.
.
.
The three photos above show some of the shadows and strange patterns formed as the snow gets blown across the land after it crosses Dillon Lake.
Humans weren't the only ones out on the snow, as these two photos show. We never did figure out what made the tracks... The photo on the left shows tracks crossing a patch of dried grasses, while the photo on the right shows how some animal checked out the top of a pine tree.
.
.
The photo on the left shows an icicle and pine cone on a pine tree.
All in all, two fine days in the mountains.