January Snowshoe Adventure

We went on a wonderful winter adventure yesterday.

I've always wanted to try snow shoeing. I really love hiking and being outside, and tend to get a little cooped up in the winter. Most other winter sports are a little too thrill seeking for me, and since I love hiking, snow shoeing was something I was curious about. Recently, Daniel got an email through school from the Hermiston Parks & Recreation about a snow shoe day trip, and we signed up.

So yesterday we woke up to a blue sky Eastern Oregon winter day and drove just over an hour through Pendleton, over Cabbage Hill, and to Emily Snow Park and hiked the Meacham Divide Trail.

Snowshoeing is indeed a lot like walking, but so fun because you get to stay above the snow and not sink in up to your hips. However, it is a great workout! My inner thighs and hip flexors are definitely feeling it today. We hiked about 2.5 miles, but it felt more like 7!

We saw some incredible views. It was so fun to be out in the snow and not be freezing cold since we kept moving.

Outside of Christmas, winter is a season I tend to be grumpy about because it keeps you inside a lot, and I like to be out and adventuring. I need to take advantage of more opportunities like this to appreciate the beauty unique to winter. To see the glimmer of sunshine on freshly fallen snow, the blue sky against the frost tipped trees, a tiny stream running along a frozen road.

It was a beautiful day to be out and we got to meet lots of adventurous, friendly people from the community. Our day off took an unexpected twist when our car broke down on our way home. The sound of the engine was slightly off but seemed okay until we reached Cabbage Hill. (If you are not familiar with Cabbage Hill, it's a really crazy 6% grade winding hill on I-84. It's one of those where as you are beginning your ascent, you can see trucks on the road where you are going to be driving in just a minute's time, and think "how the heck are we gonna get up there?!". It scares me a little bit and generally Daniel drives when our trip includes this landmark.) The check engine light came on, but luckily we had made it down and off the hill by the time the battery died and we pulled over. Thank goodness we had made it down the hill first or that would have been very scary. We made the call and AAA came to the rescue!  One of the many things I love about my husband is that he stays calm and positive when faced with problems like this. Thankfully, this attitude is contagious and I'm learning to take the necessary steps and then just go on living my life in the midst of unexpected challenges.

 Now our poor little car is in the shop and I have another day off of subbing in order to take care of it. So here I am blogging, cozy at the table with homemade salted caramel hot chocolate and a Moonlit Snow scented candle glowing. As I look at pictures I'm still delighting in the adventure and fun of yesterday, and a broken down car in the shop won't stop me.