Beauty and motivation in the morning, downtown Denver. Credit: Kirsten Ebey, 2015. Click on the photo to check us out on Facebook.

This Snowshoeing Adventure began with this beautiful, motivating, downtown Denver sunrise you see pictured to the left. I grabbed my coffee, my gear, put on some great tunes, and headed over to pick up my good friend, Kathleen.

Kathleen and I had signed up for a Snowshoeing Adventure through my work. Did you know that you can get a group of friends or coworkers together and get some guides from REI to lead a snowshoeing expedition? How cool is that?! For about $60 per person, they bring the gear (including shoes, poles, & gators) and lead you on a couple hour-long hike on a trail, like Echo Lake, teaching you proper technique.

Beautiful landscape of the Echo Lake hike. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Jan 2015.

We spent half of a day hiking through the beautiful forest near Echo Lake. We stopped at the top of the trail to eat lunch and take in the breath-taking views before hiking back down. Some of us continued onward for another hour, while some headed back to the lot at the trailhead. Understandable – it was definitely a full body, as well as mental, workout. 

All smiles at the top of the hike at Echo Lake! Left: Kirsten, Right: Kathleen. Check out more of our adventure by clicking on the picture and checking us out on Facebook.

As far as equipment and clothing, learning to walk around in the snowshoes wasn’t difficult; the poles were a HUGE help and definitely necessary for keeping balance while hiking up and down the terrain. The gators were great for keeping our feet nice and dry. I opted out of wearing gators as I already had a waterproof pant shell (Marmot, $99 – thanks, REI) that I was wearing over my thermal undergarments. Waterproof hiking boots are a MUST. The snow could reach a few feet in depth at times, so it was important to have waterproof boots keeping our feet dry.

Liz, one of our guides from the REI flagship store, helping out the group. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Jan 2015.

Snowshoeing is a great way to clear your mind, get some great exercise, bond with friends or a team, and regain perspective. It’s nice to remember what a beautiful place we live in and what adventures it provides if you just go looking for them.

Check out more pictures from our adventure below! Make sure to follow us on Facebook for more rad things to do around Denver and out in nature, too!

DenverSpeax – Jan 2015.

DenverSpeax – Jan 2015.

DenverSpeax – Jan 2015.

DenverSpeax – Jan 2015.

DenverSpeax – Jan 2015.