Shared Stories: Show us Your Snowy Adventures

We put out a call to our Instagram community to hear about your snowy adventures. Our community answered! These stories were featured in the spring edition of our Washington Trails Magazine:
Photo by Michael Margoshes.

This photo was taken on New Year’s Eve. It’s a decade-long tradition with my dear friends Jonell, Mike and Kendra. We spend one tremendous and humbling night each year camping in the snow to remind us what life is all about! Each year we prepare better than the last. Sometimes the elements are brutally relentless. (We’ve camped in 40-degree rain and in a -5 degree blizzard.) We learn more every time and apply that knowledge to a successful camp in the mountains. The trail is where I feel most connected to the earth. It’s my gateway to exploration.  

— Michael Margoshes, @michaelmeez

Photo by Andy Stokes.

My wife and I got snowshoes for each other for Christmas and we couldn’t wait to test them out! We went to Stevens Pass and headed east on the Pacific Crest Trail for a couple of hours. It was a beautiful clear day and the snow conditions were great. I like the beauty of time on trail. I’m originally from the UK and my wife is from New York, so we really didn’t have access to hiking trails like the ones we find in the Pacific Northwest. Mountains, lakes, forests, it’s all on our doorstep, and it’s awe-inspiring. Now we have two little ones so we’re excited to find family-friendly hikes and help our children experience the outdoors.

— Andy Stokes, @andystokesphoto

I’ve always been an exclusively summer and fall hiker, but for my 40th birthday I wanted to attempt something more challenging. Being born in late December, most of my favorite local spots were inaccessible. But Big Four Ice Caves seemed in my wheelhouse. The snow was magic; everything was white. Until I reached the river, and the green-blue of the water was so vibrant that no photograph can really depict such a lovely contrast. But I took one anyway! I have now upgraded my hiking gear to include spikes, poles and snowshoes, because I never want to miss another winter season on the trail.

— Jessica Dobervich, @sundaypnwhiker