Catch the drift on snowshoes

When the heavens opened up last weekend and blanketed the mountains with a foot of deep, light powder, Hal Watrous knew just what he wanted to do: Walk in it.

While skiers and snowboarders made first tracks at Stevens Pass, Watrous was just over the ridge from the Brooks chairlift, happily plowing a path through the fluff. Even strapped into a pair of plastic and aluminum snowshoes, Watrous plunged a foot deep with every step.

"You probably won’t find snow any better," he said.

As the leader of the Everett Mountaineers’ annual snowshoeing class, Watrous tries to get novice snowshoers excited about heading to the hills in the depths of winter.

"It’s less crowded," he said, "more of a wilderness adventure. Lots of room to get away from people."

On Sunday, the class met at the Mountaineers Lodge next to the ski area. About 14 novice snowshoers and instructors split into groups, then headed out into the woods. On the packed cat tracks, the going was easy, but as soon as the groups left the trail, the snow was deep and the going tough.

Watrous led his party past the Grace Lakes west of the ski area and to a small knoll overlooking the valley. A large area just past the lakes is permanently closed for avalanche work, but the boundary is marked on the cat track.

From the knoll, the group kicked down a steep hillside to the second of the snow-covered Grace Lakes and stopped for lunch. Then, they circled the lake and climbed another hill and into the woods, finally coming out on the edge of the ski runs before circling back to the lodge.

Matt Vadnal of Mill Creek was on snowshoes for the first time with the class.

"I really enjoyed it," he said. "I’ve done a lot of winter sports — downhill skiing and Nordic skiing — but never tried snowshoeing. Getting out there in the trees, you’re really part of it."

When Diane Brown moved from Texas to Auburn a few years ago, she fell in love with the mountains and took up snowshoeing to keep going out in the cold months.

"When I first started hiking, I thought it was kind of sad I had to give it up in the winter, especially around here," she said.

Anyone who can hike can snowshoe, but that doesn’t mean it’s as simple as putting one foot in front of the other. It’s easy to get lost snowshoeing, streams and rocks can pose hidden dangers and there are always avalanches to consider.

In his class, Watrous emphasizes the importance of navigation skills. At Stevens Pass, he often paused to take a compass reading, or check his altimeter. With everything bathed in white and most of the trails and roads covered, it’s not hard at all to get turned around.

Equipment is important in snowshoeing, but clothing and safety gear is just as essential as a good pair of snowshoes.

"Most of the snowshoes on the market work," Watrous said. "I don’t see too much equipment that’s bad."

Dressing in layers is key: It doesn’t take long to work up a sweat plunging through the powder, and it takes even less time to cool down as soon as you stop. Snowshoers also carry trekking poles to help them push through the deep stuff. Extra food and a thermos of warm liquid are important, too.

Taking a few extra precautions before heading out on a snowshoeing trip is also important. Leave a trip plan with a friend or relative, and also on the dash in your car. Check avalanche conditions ahead of time and get a weather report.

Once you’re on the trail, members of a group take turns breaking a path through the deep snow. When climbing hills, it doesn’t take long to wear out the leader. Setting a fixed turnaround time is a smart idea, since it gets dark so early in the winter.

Those safety measures shouldn’t stop anyone, even beginners, from heading out, however — as long as they are prepared.

"You can almost always find places to snowshoe, even in high avalanche areas," Watrous said. "There’s a lot of lowland lakes and drainages where you can go that do not have much exposure to them."

Getting started

If you’re looking for some help getting started snowshoeing, you’ve got a lot of choices.

The U.S. Forest Service offers snowshoe walks at Stevens Pass and Snoqualmie Pass Saturdays and Sundays. At Stevens Pass, the programs start at the Forest Service guard station located in parking lot A of the Stevens Pass Ski Area. The walks end Feb. 29. Call 360-677-2414 on weekdays to sign up. For Snoqualmie Pass, meet at the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest’s visitor information center off I-90, exit 52. Call 425-434-6111 to register. The walks end March 28. $10. www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs.

Cascade Crags in Everett offers snowshoe rentals and guided trips. Rentals are $15 a day, or $20 for a weekend. Six-hour guided trips are offered Feb. 14 and March 20, $20 (including $10 off snowshoe rental). 425-258-3431. www.cascadecrags.com.

The Everett parks department offers snowshoe trips nearly every weekend and cost $27 to $35. The trips tend to fill fast, however. 425-257-8300. www.everettwa.org/Parks.

The Everett Mountaineers organize frequent snowshoeing trips and non-members can also participate. See the group’s Web site, www.everettmountaineers.org, for details, or call 800-573-8484, or 206-284-8484. Upcoming trips are: Feb. 7, Miller River, Feb. 14 Lanham Lake, Feb. 21, Barclay Lake, Feb. 29, Olallie Lake, Mar. 6 Surprise Creek.

REI offers free introductory snowshoeing classes at 7 p.m. Feb. 11 at its Lynnwood and Seattle stores. Lynnwood, 4200 194th St. SW. 425-774-1300. Seattle, 222 Yale Ave N. 206-223-1944. www.rei.com.

Stevens Pass offers free snowshoe demos and tours of Mill Valley at 5 p.m. Feb. 7 and March 6 at the Stevens Pass Nordic Center. 206-812-4510. www.stevenspass.com.

Olympic National Park offers guided snowshoe walks at the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center at 2 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. Call 360-565-3136 for information. $2, plus $10 park entrance fee. www.nps.gov/olym. Walks end March 28.

Mount Rainier National Park offers two-hour snowshoe trips at 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through April 6, beginning at the Jackson Memorial Visitor Center at Paradise. $1 plus $10 park entrance fee. 360-569-2211, press 1. www.nps.gov/mora.

“Snowshoe Routes: Washington,” Dan A. Nelson, Mountaineers Books. $16.95.

“Snowshoeing: From Novice to Master,” Gene Prater, Mountaineers Books. $16.95.

Check with the Northwest Avalanche Center any time you’re headed into the backcountry during snowy months. 206-526-6677. www.nwac.noaa.gov.

www.wrh.noaa.gov/Seattle

1. Navigation (map and compass, not just a GPS)

2. Sun protection

3. Insulation (extra clothing)

4. Illumination (flashlight/headlamp)

5. First-aid supplies

6. Fire (waterproof matches and a candle or other fire starter)

7. Repair kit and tools

8. Extra food