A Springtime Snowshoe in Bicentennial Park - 4-9-12

It was nice of the snowpack to hang around so I could go snowshoeing with some friends in mid-April. It was a beautiful day to be out and about, and no need to bundle up at all!

First, of course, we must get pictures of us in our snowshoeing glory...

Ready to go (or joust?) with our snowshoes and poles...

 

I love seeing the patterns the shadows make on the snow. So pretty!

We saw some neat things along the way. It became a bit of a nature walk! The middle of this tree is rotted and hollowed out somewhat... but the papery bark remains. Kinda neat.

Bear bread fungus. This grows very well in southeast AK, and many people will make it into art. Here are some examples: http://www.ketchikanfishing.net/bearbrd.htm

Old Man's Beard. Incredible survival material... burns very easily!

The snowshoes were the only thing to keep us on top of the 3 foot or so snowpack. There were spots where we went down, but not too many. We did test out whether or not the snowshoes were making a difference... I can assure you they did!

We're snowshoeing on top of the trees! 

A little sign of life... some green under this tree! This is the first sign of green (other than evergreen trees) we've seen since late October. So exciting! All it needs is the little bit of sunshine that can reach it.

We decided to dig a hole and see how far down the ground is. I started, but after I got to the point my short arms couldn't reach anymore I handed off the digging duties.

Still digging... almost to the ground!

A 2 1/2 year old child fits in the hole! She humored us for a few seconds, then was ready to get out.

On the way home, we had this "little" treat. Still doesn't get old seeing the moose around town.

 And that does it for the wintery blog posts for awhile! This has been an amazingly awesome winter, and in some ways I'm sad to see it end.  But I know that once everything greens up around here and birds return, I'll love summer just the same. Besides, the great thing about being a winter lover around here is that you never have to wait very long for it to return! :) 'Til next time...