As they say, "if you can walk, you can snowshoe!"

It has been a long time since we've hit the mountain. We are thirsty for the mountain air and the sweeping views of glacier and stone - especially after a long fall semester of classes and sometimes frustrating living situations. So, to satisfy our dry mouths, to flood our drought with some good ole' mountain, we set out to drive up there and play in the snow last Sunday. After several days of spectacular weather and beautiful sunrises and sunsets during my commute, the mountain went into hiding, shrouded in typical western Washington winter weather - cloudy, rainy/snowy and cold. We decided not to brave the driving conditions, or expend the money on gas, let alone the precious 'study' time before finals, for just a possibility of a glimpse of the mountain.

Thus, we decided to fill some of our study-break time this week with mountain trip planning, utilizing our two new maps: one mini, gore-tex, waterproof, tear-proof version of the standard National Park Service map, including the Wonderland trail elevation profile map and six other must hike trail highlights. The other is a National Geographic, waterproof, tear-proof, topological map with a highlighted Wonderland trail that includes mileage along the trail, as well as all the backcountry camps and ranger stations.

After admiring the maps, we decided that we need to get out and go snowshoeing soon - and to further that desire we watched the snowshoeing tutorials on REI.com. Of course now we are experts in the sport, and ready to hit the trail as soon as possible... right?! We did put some good thought into it, picking a part of the Wonderland trail that is both accessible and relatively flat to begin with. We've looked into renting snowshoes at either REI or on Ft. Lewis, or borrow, for free, ones on the Mountain itself. We might even try to make it to a snowshoeing seminar at REI sometime soon. The goal: to get on the mountain by the end of December. Snowshoeing by the end of January. To be continued...