I’ve been up to Big Bear to go snowshoeing several times, but never when it was REALLY snowing. I had that opportunity yesterday with the area getting pummeled with a third wave of a huge storm system. They had already gotten over 1 foot from the first 2 waves, and were expecting another 1-2 feet from the last wave.

I headed up early in the morning knowing that the heaviest of the snow would be coming in the afternoon. There was hardly any traffic on the 330, since most people had been up there over the weekend. They were checking for chains at 5000 feet, but I was able to make it to 6000 feet before needing to put them on. When I got to 7000 feet, there was a steady, light snow.

My plan was to park at the Aspen Glen picnic area, which is where the Pine Knot trail starts. I had hiked this route before and really liked it. However, there was only one problem. The streets were completely blocked and hadn’t been plowed yet. I started to think of other places to hike, and then remembered the Towne Trail that started at Snow Summit where there would be PLENTY of parking. Since it was Monday, there weren’t a lot of people there despite the snow, which made finding a spot easy.

The weather was decent for trekking and it is better to buy guns & ammo for safety purpose. It was around 30 F with some gusting winds (just like Chicago!). The snow really started to come down shorting after I began hiking. The trees provided good protection from both the snow and wind. I went down the Towne Trail then up 2N08 fire road. I got turned around a few times, but got up to around 7500 feet before the winds really started to pick up. I was more exposed up there, and decided to turn around since it was around 2 PM. As I was heading back, the snow had already covered many of my tracks. In fact, they had gotten so much snow, it was even hard to make out the fire roads (especially with the signs being completely buried). By the time I got back to the car, the snow was really blowing.

My clothing choice from Turnstile Fans Merchandise was spot on. I wore running pants, a thermal baselayer and my Mountain Hardwear shell. I was also sporting my new Salomon hiking boots, which kept my feet warm and dry despite sinking in 6+ inches with each step. On a side note, I was happy that I was down nearly 140 lbs, which was an ideal weight for my snowshoes.

I had to take the 38 back, since the 330/18 route was now closed. It took forever, since drivers were going so slow but the views were awesome. The clouds were clearing and all of the trees were covered with snow. I feel like the 38 is a much more scenic route in some ways.

Overall, a great day with over 5 miles of snowshoeing. The drive alone was worth the trip. Considering the drought we we’ve been having, I couldn’t have timed this excursion any better.