Snowshoeing adventures abundant in county

Rawlins Daily Times, Janice Kurbjun

Snowshoers and cross country skiers shared the trails in the Sierra Madre. Each is rated according to difficulty and afford views of Severson Flats to the north and the Platte Valley to the south.

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Looking at the trailhead, nothing was familiar.

In summer, there was lush, green foliage scattered with wildflower shades of purple, blue, pink and orange. Now, in late winter, the trail into the Sierra Madres is white, broken by sharp shadows of lodgepole pines reaching into the blue sky.

The well-cleared trail marked with blue diamond signs is off limits to snowmobilers, though the machines can still be heard. The snow is nearly waist deep at the edge of the pavement; the only way to get through is to strap on snowshoes.

Snowshoes create a duck-like effect when the wide, aluminum frames with inside rubber are strapped over boots. Climbing over the snow bank, the only sound is the crunch of crusty snow underfoot.

The Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest is a perfect place to hit the snow for a few hours. With snowshoe and cross-country trails in Brush Creek, across the highway from the Medicine Bow Lodge in Ryan Park, and Bottle Creek west of Encampment in the Sierra Madres, there is plenty of terrain to explore.

Mark Rauterkus at the Trading Post at the Encampment-Riverside junction provides the only place to rent snowshoes in Carbon County. For $10 a day, Rauterkus can equip the outdoorsman with shoes, and he provides poles and Forest Service trail maps. “It’s easy to learn,” he said. Just strap them on and go, just like walking.

On the trail, the pristine snow is untouched except for rabbit tracks zigzagging through the forest. Veering from the trail and softly wading through untouched powder, a view of the Sierra Madres comes into focus as the trees open into a clearing. Beyond, the craggy summits of Colorado’s Never Summer mountain range are barely visible.

“It’s the most fun to go off the trail, especially if you see moose tracks or want to go over the ridge,” said Sue Cary, of the Brush Creek-Hayden ranger office in Saratoga. “Often, people just go. You can snowshoe anywhere in the forest if you’re careful.”

The trails Rauterkus points out to visitors start off as an easy hike with a gradual incline, ideal for beginners.

“The trails are very scenic,” he said. “They wind in and out of the trees and as you get higher, they have great views.” Snowshoeing difficulty increases with the trail’s grade, but varies slightly from traditional hiking since it involves snow, deeper means harder going.

— Janice Kurbjun

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Tips Offered

For people who plan to strap on a pair snowshoes and take off into the great unknown, officials at Saratoga’s Brush Creek-Hayden ranger station recommend some safety tips:

• Explorers should carry water, a snack, a compass and a whistle.

• Do not go into the forest alone. Leave a note in your vehicle saying where you’ve gone. A vehicle will often be investigated by law enforcement before Forest Service officials recognize that someone has not returned from the trail, especially in winter.

• Remember the acronym WOW: Where am I? Is everything OK in terms of gear and myself? What is the weather like? Forest Service personnel recommend being consistently aware of your surroundings, especially when off a marked trail.

• The weather changes quickly in the mountains; explorers should pay attention to the clouds.