On a morning where I was suppose to go out for a morning session of backcountry snowboarding, I ended up snowshoeing and snapping photos. Why the change in plans? Well, I forgot my avalanche beacon. I didn't pull up to the meeting place at 5:30am thinking I had it...I realized on my way home from work that I left the borrowed beacon on my desk. So I went anyways.
I woke up at 4:10 am and drove to the White Pine Trailhead parking lot where I met with everyone that was embarking on today's "Dawn Patrol." Having never hiked or snowboarded in this area and being the only one without a beacon, I decided to bow out since I didn't know what kind of terrain I was getting myself into. I jumped back into my truck and laid down for a two hour nap. My plan was to wake up when I could actually see my surroundings and then go for an hour-long stroll on my snowshoes.
Since my morning was already going down hill, my goal on snowshoes was now to hike to a spot where I'd get to see something beautiful. Luckily I did. The Red Pine trail took me to a place where I could overlook the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon and see the mountains that sit on the westside of the Salt Lake Valley. It was a pretty sight. In fact, I even got down on my knees and offered a prayer of thanks to God for creating such a beautiful world.
