Search trip reports
Placeholder Routes & Places

Trip Report    

Basic Snowshoe - Pratt Lake Trail

Although it didn't rain from the sky, it DID rain from the trees, making for a rather wet day in the mountains! There was just enough wind to pummel the group with tree ice bombs but we still had a fun day.

Gay Miller Gay Miller
January 20, 2020
  • Road suitable for all vehicles

  • The trail was completely packed down the entire way so snowshoes were not actually needed. We wore them anyway: it was a snowshoe trip, right? (However, if one DID step off the trail, the snowshoes were definitely needed!) The stream crossings were completely bare of snow, so we definitely need more snow to fill in these areas. There was a lot of blown down branches everywhere and even a few trees. It actually looked more like a spring snowshoe trip than a winter one!

We kept up a pretty steady, fast pace and, since the trail that actually descends to the lake had not been broken, we elected to hike to the north end of the lake and get the lake view from up above. This spot is an avalanche-prone slope, and since the risk was "considerable", we took pictures and then retreated a few feet to a spot without trees above us so we could eat our lunch drip-free. On our return, one person with low blood pressure had an issue with dizziness so we spent roughly half an hour feeding her salty snacks and such until she felt better. We then continued back to the cars without further incident.