Dog Lake with Microspikes

 Rating: ❆❆❆


Dog Lake. 4.9 miles. 1450 feet elevation gain. Date Hiked: Feb. 20, 2021

On Wednesday, I had a white knuckle drive to work. The result was a few feet of snow in the mountains! It is truly beautiful. With our new found microspikes, Leti and I decided to try another winter hike since our mountains have snow again. And, it was an adventure. 

When we started on our hike we learned a few things very quickly about microspikes.  

1) Microspikes are not snowshoes. This became apparent very early on in the hike. There were a few spots in the trail where we ended up going knee deep. It was fun. And always a bit of a surprise and a bit jarring. Jarring is less fun. 

2) Microspikes work well when there is less snow. Yesterday there was a lot of snow. Although we didn't slide a lot, it wasn't an ideal hike because our feet never felt firmly planted. Gospel thought. A firm foundation is very nice to walk on. A weak foundation is not. Plant your feet on a firm foundation. It will probably be less painful in the end.

3) Microspikes do not keep your feet warm. Okay, we may have already known this. Yesterday, I was grateful for my two pairs of wool socks. I was able to retain foot heat, for the win! 

The hike to Dog Lake was very beautiful. The snow in the mountains was still fresh and clean looking. The hike becomes less fun at the 2 mile mark. There is about half a mile left. And there is a lot of elevation to be gained. And, you think you should be there already. Yesterday was no different. And, several paths emerged in the woods. (Robert Frost only had two paths to choose from. Leti and I, we had several.) Some paths went well, and we remained on a fairly packed down trail. And some paths were not as successful. But, we arrived! And, for once, I enjoyed how Dog Lake looked. Okay, I couldn't see it, which is probably why I appreciated it. Dog Lake is extremely dirty. It really does look like dogs have gone swimming in the lake. And, there usually is a dog swimming in the lake. But yesterday, it was perfectly white surrounded by nice trees, and it was full of snow. It was picture perfect. 

Me at the lake. I may have been talking when the picture was snapped.

The way back was swift. It was much easier to go downhill in our spikes. And, I only ended up in a hole up to my waist once. On our way back, there was a couple in front of us. As we got closer to them, they turned around and started walking up the trail toward us. A little odd. Unless of course, a little moose is literally coming up the trail you are going down. The moose took one look at me and headed off the trail into the woods. I did look kind of sketchy with my magician stocking hat. We took a few pictures, and headed back down the trail. If you stop too long in the snow, you become very, very cold. So, we didn't stay long. It was another successful moose sighting and hike in the books! 

The moose, off the trail. 





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