Snowshoeing: an exercise in beauty

"Snowshoeing is like walking, only with bigger feet," says Jim Hinote, an interpretive ranger at Mount Rainier National Park. He leads public snowshoe tours from the Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise on winter weekends and holidays, and relishes the opportunity to introduce people to his favorite mountain in the snowy season.

"I'm really for the public getting up here and experiencing this park in the winter," says Hinote. "It's incredibly beautiful. And once you go out and snowshoe, you belong to it — you've done something in the winter with nature. It's just a matter of putting on snowshoes and walking and you've accomplished something new. And that's what life's about, I hope — new experiences." Hinote has found that many people are put off of the idea of winter sports by watching activities they think require a lot of training, such as downhill skiing, ice skating or the luge.

"Snowshoeing is not difficult and you can get out there in the snow with very little effort," he says. "The only thing is, you do have to admit to yourself that it is exercise — this is the hard part for couch potatoes, in particular."

Open to all

Guided snowshoe outings

Mount Rainier National Park

NOTE: Shortly before this article went to press, floods destroyed a section of highway near the park's Nisqually entrance, on the route to Paradise, and damaged many park facilities. Check for updates before planning a trip this winter: www.nps.gov/mora IF earlier plans proceed, snowshoe tours will begin Dec. 23 from the Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise on Mount Rainier. The tours are held at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. on weekends and holidays on a first-come basis. Entry to the park costs $15 per vehicle, and a $1 donation for snowshoe upkeep is requested but not required. Sign up one hour before the tour. Call 360-569-6036 (weekends and holidays) for more information.

Elsewhere

Similar snowshoe tours are offered at:

• Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park (360-565-3136, nps.gov/olym), $5 per person plus $15 per car for park admission. Tours begin Dec. 30.

• Snoqualmie Pass (before Jan. 5 call 509-852-1062, after Jan. 5 call 425-434-6111, www.fs.fed.us). Suggested donation of $10 per person. Tours begin Jan. 6.

• Stevens Pass (360-677-2414, same Web site as Snoqualmie Pass), suggested donation of $10 per person. Tours begin Jan. 6. Parking is difficult; the shuttle bus from Sultan is recommended ($5 round trip). Information at stevenspass.com (click on "The Mountain" and go to parking/transportation for Sultan Shuttle details).

Everyone is welcome to give snowshoes a try during the weekend tours, which are aimed at novices. Hinote says anyone who can walk can snowshoe, and recommends it for people 8 to 80 or older depending on general fitness. Before starting out on the 1.2 mile mostly level trail, he helps participants strap on the snowshoes, then teaches them how to walk uphill and downhill in the shoes.

Hinote jokes that to learn to snowshoe you have to fall at least eight times.

"You won't hurt yourself except your ego or your image," he says, assuring that the snow makes for a soft landing. Admitting that he still falls occasionally himself, Hinote encourages newbies to celebrate their first fall by yelling out, "One!" "I don't get worried unless I hear '17!' " he laughs. "The main objective is to have fun." The worst accident Hinote has witnessed in six years of leading these tours was a broken binding strap.

Snowshoes will fit over any kind of shoe, but warm, waterproof boots are recommended. Just as with skiing, if your feet are comfortable you'll have a good time, Hinote says. Also contributing to a positive first snowshoeing experience are dressing in layers that you can remove as you warm up, and wearing sunglasses, gloves, and a hat or scarf to protect your ears from biting winds.

The tour includes snowshoes that come in two styles, the old-fashioned "beavertail" design, which travels well in powder, and the modern models with crampons (metal teeth) for traction in icy conditions. Smaller snowshoes are available for children. Rangers leading the tours present an interpretive talk along the route, covering mountain wildlife, glaciers, and how trees and animals adapt to survive the extreme cold. They take time to stop along the way to share information, answer questions and give people short rest breaks.

It opens up new scenery

Hinote, who has been snowshoeing for six years, likes the ease of a sport that needs no trail.

"You can go anyplace on your own up through the snow and be really independent. I love it for the beauty, and it's great exercise."

Paradise has many low-elevation trails good for beginning snowshoers. Winter trail maps are available in the Jackson Visitor Center.

"By the time people are finished with this walk they are really confident," Hinote says. "They start out watching their feet all the time, but by the time they're through they are looking around enjoying the scenery."

Freelance writer Kathryn True is a frequent contributor to Northwest Weekend. She lives on Vashon Island.