You Otter Snowshoe It - Hiking It Is Boring.

We had an excellent adventure yesterday snowshoeing Otter Falls back behind North Bend. The total distance was about 9.5 miles with minimal elevation gain. There were 38 downed trees which required navigation as well as 25 water crossings. One spot in particular blurred the line between intrepid behaviour and stupid behaviour. We had to knock away the snow from a bunch of rocks to get through a 20 -25 foot area.

Our tracks provided a guide for others who took the same route behind us - some with questionable choices of gear and clothing.

Athena was able to go since the trail is dog-friendly and remote enough that it isn't a favorite of others with dogs. She was bottomed out more often than not but her strength and enthusiasm carried her through. She was great on the trail with the exception of stepping on the backs of Sherrie and my snowshoes when the snow would get really deep and she elected to follow in our tracks. She even took Sherrie down once.

When I say remote I mean the last 12 miles is by far the worst forest service road in the world. It is endless potholes and ruts that at times require very slow navigation to avoid breaking your suspension.

We began encountering trees on the trail right away and that kept us from putting our snowshoes on right away. We finally gave up at the 2.5 mile point and put our shoes on. We blasted up and actually saw the marker that points to where the falls are.

 We scrambled up the hill and were treated to a great winter look at the falls.

As usual, we all lived through the adventure. Athena is a very tired girl even this morning as I write this. Here are a few more shots from the trail.

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