Snowshoeing Through Crawford Notch

“In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” ~ Albert Camus

The Cold Never Stopped me Anyway 

The sub-zero temps and the creeping crud were not going to stop me from soaking in the beauty of the White Mountains. As much as I love the Concrete Jungle, it is called that for a reason, and I need to hug a tree and kiss some grass every once in awhile. Though in this case it was more eating snow and praying I didn’t fall through ice.

Because of the cold temps, and the fact that I am an admitted baby in the cold, hiking a mountain was not the smartest. My brother and I decided to do a little off trail trekking and snowshoe to a gorge, that neither of us had been too.

Crawford Notch

There were several ways we could get to the gorge, but decided to start at the trail head of Mount Crawford, located in Crawford Notch.

Not to spoil a great story, but guys, we legit took the hardest route.

With that in mind, the Notch was a snow covered oasis with wind gusts of up to forty miles an hour. There were people who were hiking Mount Crawford and I gave them serious kudos, we weren’t gaining any elevation, and I was still cold in the sub zero temps.

Snowshoeing 

We strapped on our snowshoes, and began the trek. We might as well not have even been wearing them, since we kept sinking into the snow, at times up our waists. Well at least I was, because hello, I am a legal little person!

We decided to hike along the river, which was only a few inches deep and frozen solid for the most part. Without the protection of the woods, it was cold AF. It was also stunningly gorgeous with the blue of the sky meeting the white of the fresh snow.

It was relatively easy going until we got closer to the gorge. There were tons of boulders, and with everything covered in multiple feet of snow, we had to be incredibly careful about where we were stepping. At one point I fell through the snow and actually cut the ice. Don’t mess with the booty.

The Gorge

Located around a bend below a trestle, it is truly a hidden gem with only the most daring searching it out, even in the Summer. It was well worth the couple mishaps we had. Icicles shown through the feet of snow, and covered the sides of the rocks, making them glitter with the reflection of the sun.

There was a stillness that only magnified how isolated the spot was and how few humans actually visited it.

Trek Back

With the temperatures, we didn’t stay long, just enough to appreciate the views and snap some pictures. We decided to take the train tracks back. While it was a little hairy climbing up to them, once we reached them, it was easy peasy.

So easy in fact, that while it took us almost an hour to get there, it only took us fifteen minutes to get back,

You have my permission to laugh. We definitely did. Hashtag epic research fail.

We were both covered in icicles by the time we got back to the car, but my heart was happy. While it wasn’t a true hike in my opinion, it was definitely an adventure, one I am not sure I would have changed or shortened for the world.

I grew up in such a beautiful place and to be able to go back to visit and take that in, is truly a gift. Having that time in nature gives me the reset I, at times desperately, crave. It also gives me lessons and little reminders. The journey isn’t always what we think it will be, sometimes we have to adapt to it. Sometimes taking the hard path is actually more rewarding then the easy one.

Have you ever snowshoed? Do you ever just need to be in nature?