Vedauwoo Postholing TR

I think I pretty much have already covered the highlights of the trip but I thought I might sum up here. All of the photos from the day are up here in the gallery.

Last Sunday, Mark and I packed all of our serious winter gear into the truck and headed north for a day of snow shoeing in Vedauwoo. We did pack our snowshoes and poles! Almost immediately after leaving the Ft Collins area, the snow disappeared. We drove north for an hour without seeing much more than a few patches of snow on the ground.

The Vedauwoo area sits in a high valley above Cheyenne and Laramie, Wy. We saw lots of snow in the parking area, but it all seemed hard packed and windblown, and we decided we would make better time and be more efficient if we didn’t carry the snowshoes around with us. This was silly. What were we thinking?

The serious post holing didn’t really begin until we headed down the last part of the hill to hit the Turtle Rock trail. I suggested this trail which circumnavigates the main area because it was longer and would give more opportunities for photos. Of course the trail goes around the three non-south facing sides of the formation, and the snow was pretty darn deep for the next 3-4 miles.

We stayed in the snowshoe tracks made recently by some harty soul. Poor Liv performed the snow-porpoise move for most of the afternoon as she hopped through the deep snow. She was absolutely tuckered out by the end of the day.

Yeah, it was a long, exhausting, and rather frustrating hike, but it was also a beautiful and strange place. It was so quiet, we only met two other people the whole day! The wind whistled through the trees above us, but didn’t make it down to the ground. The sun warmed the rocks all around us and they radiated heat and energy back to us.

I love Vedauwoo. I can’t wait to get back and climb. But I’m taking my snowshoes next time!!