Every winter, after enough snow has fallen, Yosemite opens Badger Pass, the park's small ski area accessible from Glacier Point Road. While most folks go there to zip down slopes or glide along machine-groomed tracks, I go there to trudge around in snowshoes. Snowshoeing isn't an adrenaline rush¹, but it's a great way to get your heart pumping while exploring the wilderness in winter.

On New Year's Eve, M and I spent the day at Badger Pass. We caught the early morning shuttle from Curry Village and reached the ski area around 9:30 AM. The park offers two free Badger Pass shuttles in the morning (8:00 and 10:00 AM) and two return shuttles in the afternoon (2:00 and 4:00 PM). While the shuttle ride takes longer than driving one's car, I prefer the peace of mind and napping opportunities it provides.

With trail map in hand and snowshoes on feet, we began our trek to Bridalveil Campground, a relatively easy 6.6-mile out-and-back adventure. I had initially hoped to reach the Bridalveil Creek Ski Trail by way of the Ghost Forest Loop, but after discovering it would be 6.5-mile journey one way, I went with something less ambitious. It seemed unwise to kill ourselves on the first snowshoe walk of the season.

Instead of taking the easier (and groomed) Glacier Point Road, we opted to take Old Glacier Point Road, which is only groomed for the first mile. To me, the real excitement began once we left the maintained track for the "more difficult" trail.

We traveled along a narrow channel, less than two-feet wide, with walls of snow 12 to 18 inches high. Three inches of snow separated our lane from the lane used by cross-country skiers. (In roadway terms, snowshoe lanes are worn and rutted, while cross-country ski lanes are smooth and newly paved.)

To my surprise (and delight), we only encountered one pair of snowshoers on the trail. I feared we would come across several cross-country skiers, but Old Glacier Point Road didn't seem to be a popular route (or maybe we just lucked out).

The downside of taking the old road was the time it took to travel. The unpacked snow slowed our pace considerably. It took nearly three hours to cover little more than three miles. On the upside, the trail offered solitude and scenery. They weren't stunning vistas, but the surrounding landscape was still beautiful.

When we reach Bridalveil Campground, we found a sunny spot to sit and snack. I went in search of the Ghost Forest Loop, but never found the trail head. I discovered two trails leading to Westfall Meadows, but that was it.

By the time we started our return journey, it was one o'clock. M's foot was beginning to nag her, so we decided to return along the groomed Glacier Point Road.

One of my hiking habits is to count the number of people we encounter on the trail. Thanks to my turtle-like speed and grace on snowshoes², I was able to get a rather detailed tally. On this hike, I counted 116 people. Of those, 114 were on Glacier Point Road. 88 people were cross-country skiers, 18 were snowshoers, and 10 were walkers. I also had the tally broken down by gender, but I failed to write those numbers down while they were still fresh in my head.

Due to the groomed trail, it only took 1 hour and 40 minutes to return to Badger Pass.

We got back so quickly that we had more than an hour before the four o'clock shuttle arrived. We spent the time wandering around and resting. I also took a moment to enjoy a bowl of hot soup and a much-needed cup of coffee. Even with the caffeine, I napped all the way back to the valley.

This winter, I'm hoping to get in at least two or three more snowshoeing trips. I'm also hoping to learn how to cross-country ski. I've mentioned that before, but I figure if I repeat enough times, I'll eventually get off my duff and do it.

You can see few more photos from the walk and the Yosemite trip on Flickr.

¹ It's more like an adrenaline mosey.
² They don't like to brag, but turtles are the most graceful snowshoers on the planet. Of course, other animals (namely rabbits) claim that if they had as much time as turtles did to properly evaluate and execute every movement, they would have them beat, paws down, in the grace department.