With 2020 in full swing, and January quickly coming to an end, Jaime and I decided to throw together a snowshoe hike before the month was over. With the holidays, and staying busy with our personal and work lives, we hadn’t been able to throw together many events for Rocky Mountain Sportswomen. It was time. With only a week’s notice on our website, social media, and Facebook group, we were so excited to see that almost 20 women had signed up to join us on our hike!
The weather could not have been any better. It was a sunny day in the mid 30s. I swung by Straightline Sports in downtown Steamboat Springs to pick up 8 pairs of snowshoes that they graciously rented to us for free. As the only hunting gear store in town, and with an amazing fly fishing selection and outdoor clothing selection, we are so happy to support their business as they are supportive of our efforts in getting more women outdoors.
We met the crew at the Walmart parking lot, and had the chance to chat with some new faces of Rocky Mountain Sportswomen. With a total of 14 of us and 4 dogs, we piled into a few cars, and headed up to the West Summit Loop trail head at the top of Rabbit Ears Pass in Routt National Forest.
At the trail head, we loaded up our packs with some delicious snacks donated from Altitude Snacks and Sweetwood Smokehouse. We also slipped in some beverages to celebrate Andraya’s upcoming birthday, and to celebrate us as Rocky Mountain Sportswomen. We strapped on our snowshoes, and headed up to the trail head. You could feel the excitement and anticipation of the group as we tried to organize for a group photo.
We headed down the trail with loads of enthusiasm. Almost immediately we found ourselves surrounded by beautiful pines covered in snow. A lot of our participants had never been on this trail before, including myself. A lot of our participants had never been snowshoeing before either! We were excited to be able to introduce some ladies to a new outdoor winter activity. The ease of having free snowshoe rentals from Straightline Sports made it welcoming for these ladies to join us on the adventure.
Coming upon a big open meadow, we took our first break for some snacks, water, and to check in on everybody. Great conversations were had with many laughs. After 10 minutes of rest, we continued on down the trail only to come upon a very daunting, steep hill. The group broke up slightly as we all had a different approach to conquering the steep incline. With a bit of encouragement and motivation to each other, we finally made our way to the top.
Perhaps one of the greatest motivators was a cold Colorado Lager from Odell Brewing Company waiting at the top. A few of us cracked a beer, toasted to each other and to women of the outdoors while taking in the breathtaking view. Or perhaps we were marveling at the incline we had just ascended.
We trudged on with the thought that the incline was over. We were wrong. We continued to gain elevation. As we reached what we were sure was the top, we decided it was time to again take a break and re energize. We enjoyed some turkey and beef sticks from Sweetwood Smokehouse, various trail mix from Altitude Snacks, and delicious chocolate bites made by Kelly.
As we descended slightly, the trail opened into snow draped meadows before leading us back among the trees. The trees were blanketed with snow, making the scenery almost entirely white. It was breathtaking. Conversation continued to flow and despite the strenuous workout, everyone was still smiling.
Reaching the trail head was bittersweet. We were all excited to have made it as a group yet were sad our time together was coming to an end. We were among such a fun, encouraging, uplifting group of ladies. After a little chat and a group gobble, we headed back to our vehicles feeling both tired and inspired.
Thanks to all the ladies who came out with us and pushed themselves out of their comfort zones. As Rocky Mountain Sportswomen, our main focus is getting more women outdoors, specifically through hunting and fishing. However, events like this open up more opportunities for getting women outdoors in other ways. It also gives us a chance to share our passion for hunting and fishing, and introducing women who may not know much about the activities or the importance of them for conservation. We look forward to our next snowshoe hike! Plans are in the works!
Special thanks to Straightline Sports for providing us with our free snowshoe rentals, as well as Altitude Snacks and Sweetwood Smokehouse for fueling our adventure!
