Created 6-Apr-24
15 photos, 3 videos
I've snowshoed in Chickadee Valley back in 2012 and 2017, but since it's nameless and trail-less on maps, I called it "Vermilion Creek", due to the fact that this location is the headwaters of the Vermilion River. I've since realized that backcountry skiers call this valley Chickadee Valley due to it's position under Chickadee Peak. Either way, it's a beautiful destination in winter, when deep snow covers the shrubbery and provides a scenic snowshoe opportunity.
David and I were excited to get one more snowshoe outing in this season, and the timing was just right to celebrate David's successful PhD thesis defense the day prior. Congratulations, Dr. David Hogan!
We started out working our way up-valley under tranquil snow flurries. After some time, we reached a large meadow between Mt. Whymper and Boom Mountain.
From here, we ascended a headwall to the upper meadow beyond. Here, we were encirled by dramatic peaks. We continued upslope to a small cliff where a magical ice fall had formed. At this point, the sun was coming out a bit and warming the slopes. We could hear cracking in the ice fall and we saw a couple of very small avalanches. We took some pictures of this beautiful location, and retreated to the edge of a glade for lunch.
The return was enjoyable, as we wound our way randomly through gullys and forested patches, back to the highway.
David and I were excited to get one more snowshoe outing in this season, and the timing was just right to celebrate David's successful PhD thesis defense the day prior. Congratulations, Dr. David Hogan!
We started out working our way up-valley under tranquil snow flurries. After some time, we reached a large meadow between Mt. Whymper and Boom Mountain.
From here, we ascended a headwall to the upper meadow beyond. Here, we were encirled by dramatic peaks. We continued upslope to a small cliff where a magical ice fall had formed. At this point, the sun was coming out a bit and warming the slopes. We could hear cracking in the ice fall and we saw a couple of very small avalanches. We took some pictures of this beautiful location, and retreated to the edge of a glade for lunch.
The return was enjoyable, as we wound our way randomly through gullys and forested patches, back to the highway.
