I’ll get this out of the way upfront: I’m not a big fan of snowshoes. They’re awkward to wear, cumbersome to carry, and my natural gait places one foot in front of the other, so the side by side snowshoe waddle feels particularly awkward and trip-prone. Nonetheless, I set out with my snowshoes for a hike up Smart’s Brook, and was glad to have them!
For the first mile or so, where the trail follows old logging roads, hikers and Nordic skiers share the way.
The trail follows the grade of Smart’s Brook for some distance. I was not tempted to try the rope swing at the swimming hole.
I’ll have to come back in the Spring to admire the beaver pond which today looked like a windswept snowfield tracked by numerous small animals.
Beyond the logging road, the trail narrows and crosses into the wilderness.
Soon I found myself breaking trail. The few inches of snow that fell on the valley floor over the past few days multiplied as the trail climbed above the stream bed toward the ridge. The trees arching over the trail were quite generous in sharing their snow burden with me as I passed.
The fresh snow wasn’t deep— less than a foot in most spots— but breaking trail is still hard work. I was moving slowly, which gave me plenty of time to admire the snow thick forest, and appreciate that I was the only person on that trail to see it.