Snowshoeing

I just wanted to share a quick post here about my first snowshoeing adventure in 17 years. My partner Greg is really into geocaching and so this last weekend we dusted off our snowshoes (yes there has been a shortage of snow in NE Minnesota lately but still enough out in the woods to snowshoe) and off we went into the woods just north of Duluth off Highway 4 near the Carroll Trail Road. Several years ago we drove through that area and spotted a pack of wolves on the narrow gravel forest road. Talk about an eerie experience. Wolves in the wild are very elusive and afraid of humans and they do not look straight at you but instead look at you in a strange sideways glance. We only saw them for a few seconds and then they slipped through the brush and were gone. I will always remember the area for those wolves.

The snowshoe trek was awesome! Temps were in the 20's, no wind, and no people in sight save one guy driving a four wheeler at one point. We went off the beaten path though and into the virgin snow in the woods. What amazes me is just how many animals are running around in the woods at any given time. You don't realize it until you see thousands of animal tracks all over the snow off the beaten path. We spotted rabbit, deer, moose, fox, squirrel, and a host of other strange prints zigsagging in all directions. Below are a few pics. It was a wonderful time and although I felt a little awkward in snowshoes for my first time, I still loved it! Today I exchanged those snowshoes for a smaller pair because it turned out the pair I wore that day were too big. Next time it will be even better! Anyway, here are just a few photos as I am short on time.

Greg and Sable

Myself and Sable