Horseshoe Prairie Snowshoe by Chuck W.

This trip was originally intended to go start where Highway 410 ends for the winter just east of Chinook Pass in the Cascades. However, the weather forecast called for heavy rain and very strong winds. The Blue Mountain forecast looked a little better with light snow, strong winds, but cold. Still not very favorable, but seven intrepid souls decided to give it a go anyway. Our persistence was rewarded by: no precipitation or wind, temperature in the mid-30’s and 8-10” of brand-new, unbroken, powder snow on the ground. You gotta love it when the weatherman is wrong! We did the “Prairie Loop Trail” which is about 4 miles and 300’ of elevation gain, breaking our own trail most of the way. Hard work but well worth it. We even did a little off trail exploring, giving everyone a chance to lead wandering through the woods.