The wilderness areas that we hike in all summer are too snow-bound for day hikes in the winter. Many trailheads are inaccessible, the trails themselves are in avalanche-prone areas, and we just can't go as far on snowshoes in deep snow as we can in hiking boots on dirt trails.
So we stay closer to home, and explore the local areas that are easy to overlook in the summer. Today we we went up Basalt Mountain Road, on Missouri Heights. Cross-country skiers, many with dogs, were drawn to this route. Most of the snow was trampled, but I found a few clean patches, including this one with the tracks of a mouse that had run across it.
