Crater Lake Snowshoe - 9:29:00
I wasn’t sure I would ever do this winter shoeshoe circumnavigation again, after the last go around being such an epic. Even after Christof came back to reclaim the winter snowshoe record in 11hrs 18min, it did not re-spark interest.
- I was interested in pursuing new routes.
- GAWWWWD it was a heinous epic out there.
It took the young Ben Americus reaching out to me, to re-kindle an interested in this route. We ran out without snowshoes only a week prior to my taking this on, finding the snow too punchy to go completely without snowshoes, so we aborted. BUT I WAS HOOKED. Crater Lake once again had me in its clutches.
Now, Ben and his team will make an attempt on this on Feb 13th, 2022. Just one week after this. And I will wager they will shave another hour-to-90min off.
- They will have a team of two or 3 to share breaking trail through the soft sections on northern aspects in shade (.
- They will take a midnight start to maximize time on solid snow (my late 4:30am start cost me 40min-1hr due to the snow softening before I got to the hardpack trail the tourists beat in out to “The Watchman”)
- They will have smaller/lighter shoeshoes (mine were way overkill for what was necessary in these conditions, but they were all I had, probably worth another 30min-45min)
If they do better my mark, will I go back. I think not. I think this experience is now left to those who come next…
So.
Who’s next?