Snow Shoe-ing and Cougar Paw Prints

We went snow shoe-ing today!

Snow Shoe-ing is all together another activity. Today’s temperature at Echo Ridge was freezing: 19 degrees F, but within seconds, both Leslie and I were heated up! Snow shoes can take you off trail and trail blazing feels like “moon walking” to me. Not that I have ever walked on the moon, but this is what I imagine it to be like. You walk ON the snow. You sink, but the big shoes stop you from sinking to your knees. It’s really an incredible activity! And there is no comparing the snow shoe experience to the cross country ski experience. I love them both!

I know this sounds funny, but modern day snow shoes actually have a shoe for the left foot and one for the right! And there are now snow shoes made specifically for women because our bodies and gait differ so much from men. Here are my shoes, left and right, made for my gender, height, and weight! (most of my boots and part of my shoe are covered by my gaiters):

Taking this photo was a yogic feat! Try standing on one leg at the edge of a ridge and bring the other leg up into the air, and take a picture of your snow shoe-ed foot with mountains in the background:

When I caught up with Leslie, we saw COUGAR PAW PRINTS!! OH MY GOD:

Sure enough, later after our day on the ridge, we stopped by to visit Leslie’s step-dad, Gordon, who confirmed that these are indeed COUGAR PAW PRINTS:

Yes, Gordon (aka The Colonel) told us that there have been THREE recent cougar sightings up at Echo Ridge! This is the coolest picture because you can see the claws! Nearby, we also saw rabbit tracks and what looked like a lot of activity! Poor rabbit. Lucky cougar.

Of course, Leslie and I discussed what we would do if we SAW the cougar. Unfortunately, I do believe I would faint.

Back at Leslie’s house, we gathered our things and packed the car. I took a few more photos of her lovely snow covered property on the lake. Here is a sumac tree in its winter-graced beauty: