Sunday, March 20, 2011

Winter on the Secret-Lamoille Trail



I wasn't into the big time commitment necessary for a ski tour today, and so decided to go for a quick winter hike on the under-construction Secret-Lamoille Trail. What a nice change of pace!

I was gratified to see a lot of tracks on the trail - it's clearly getting steady winter use, which just goes to validate the years of work I and others put into getting this project off the ground. It makes sense, though - not everybody wants to use a motor for winter fun, and not everybody is a backcountry skier. An accessible lower-elevation trail like this is going to see use by folks who want to get out and enjoy the winter mountains in a low-commitment kind of way.

Right now, the trail surface varies between mud, frozen mud and snow. It's quite walkable, but if you have the option go early in the morning to enhance the chance that you'll be walking on a frozen trail surface. It'll be easier walking and better for the trail. Snowshoes are no longer necessary.

The trail is very easy to find for about the first 1.5 miles, where the GBI crews left off working last summer. After that, the line is still very much there but it's a little harder to locate in spots. If you're up there and can't see where the trail goes, look behind you. The difficult-to-find places were, by and large, undefined switchbacks.

The views up there in the winter are astounding, even with a little spindrift thrown in for fun.




9 comments:

  1. Great snowshoeing on that trail!!! SR

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  2. Hey is this near you?

    http://www.greatbasintrails.org/fears_tears_beers_2011_placeholder.htm

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  3. THIS IS A TERRIBLE TRAIL. LOT'S OF EFFORT AND MINIMAL REWARD. I RECOMMEND AGAINST IT!!!

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  4. Yes, Mr. Oxtrot - and it's an absolute blast! As far as I'm concerned, it's about the most fun a person can have legally. It's down in Ely, about 2.5 hours from my house.

    And, Anonymous - if you don't enjoy that trail, then don't use it. There are plenty of people who do. I'm sure you can find someplace else to enjoy if you try.

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  5. Here, Charlie:

    http://rubymountaintrails.blogspot.com/2010/04/psa-fears-tears-and-beers.html

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  6. I've never been to the Ruby Mountains but I certainly can appreciate the joys of getting out early in the season just as the trails are starting to thaw out at the lower elevations. It always gets me excited for the longer trails in the high country later on in the summer months!

    Liked the blog post and hope you'll keep it up!

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  7. Thanks, Trail Guy, I certainly intend to! There are lots of great opportunities in the Rubies and surrounding country for all kinds of quiet sports - this time of year I'm often found riding my mountain bike on the cow trails that lace my BLM allotment. I love early season in the Rubies, although to be honest one has to be pretty careful about not tearing things up. Snow is still the travel surface of choice up there, and with a little bit of luck, corn skiing season is about to start!

    Thanks for visiting the site... stop back by when you're ready to head this way for real!

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  8. Thought this might interest you, Sue:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwbP9WLX3fY

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  9. Thanks, Anonymous - that video rocks! A friend of mine shared that the other day... appreciate the opportunity to watch it again. Amazing stuff.

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