I was getting into a pretty good pattern of hiking every day and then – WHAM – the mother of storms hits. Well, maybe not the mother of all storms (we'll reserve that for that 2003 seven-foot storm) but a good solid two feet dropped in one evening. It was one of those that was so deep you are kind of snowed in, so it's perfect for that classic wintertime activity – bust out the BC nordic skis and blaze trails. It's good and deep out there, and probably will be until Monday or Tuesday when things will warm up again and we can start hiking in earnest again. Between cutting trails through two feet of snow, shoveling the walkway and doing wood runs for fires (and toss in a little time on the climbing wall board) it's pretty easy to stay fit during these times when the snow falls heavy.
I picked up a pair of Kahtoola micro spikes last week. Basically, they are these lightweight cleats that go over the soles of your shoes. I honestly can't believe I never tried them till now. They are simple awesome. Green Mountain trail has lately been the equivilant of the Montreal Canadians hockey rink tilted on a sharp angle lately, yet these derby up it like no tomorrow. And going down is actually easier than in the summer, because the snow offers some forgiveness and the spikes track amazingly. Basically, it's like summer hiking when the snow conditions are hard pack, which is pretty common here.
Alta Backcountry 