ODP Snowshoes at Mt. Washington

On the morning of Saturday, January 27, twelve Outdoor Pursuits students, Mr Norman & Ms Bell made their way by school bus to the Raven Lodge at Mt. Washington to pick up our snowshoe rentals. Shortly after that, with gaiters on our feet and packs on our backs, we started our walk. At first, the snowshoes proved to be difficult to walk in but after 30 minutes of hiking we started to see some great scenery and amazing panoramic views.  By the two hour mark, we were at Lake Helen Mackenzie, near the end of the hike. We crossed over the frozen lake, and began to set up our campsite. We split up into teams; one would set up tents and make footpaths and the other would dig a trench for cooking and wind shelter. The trench was about 7 x 1.5m and had a built-in bench and cooking area. The trench took us about one and half hours to dig: it was way more snow than anyone had expected. Day Two was a bit more challenging. After spending a night in tents in the snow, we woke up to a huge snowfall. By the time we broke camp, it was starting to rain and a bit more windy than before. To top that, the heavy snowfall had completely covered our trails, but we made the most of it and took turns breaking a new trail in the deep snow.  Our path back took us over open fields, woodland and a frozen lake. Arriving back at the lodge, we were completely soaked, and everyone was pretty tired. We all sat in the lodge, changed into whatever dry clothes we had left, and ate lunch, featuring burgers and fries, while we waited for the bus to arrive.  This was a great experience that I would recommend it to anyone who likes being outside and doesn't mind a bit of cold.  Karl D, Rogers ‘21