Mesa Cortina Trailhead toward South Willow Falls.
It snowed a few inches in town last night and at least 6 inches higher up where I was today. It snowed all day and at one point it snowed hard for an hour or more. Hard enough that I was worried about it covering my tracks. It probably snowed 3-4 more inches during the day. I really needed snow shoes or skis. I was breaking trail through 6-12 inches of snow on top of a base that held my weight for the most part. Still many feet of base in this area. I learned that if I started at the Willowbrook trailhead I could have skied into the same area. Maybe I can do that some day.
You could tell it is a nice area. Every once in a while it would clear enough to see part of the surrounding mountains. I lost the trail a number of times since the trail is only marked at intersections with wooden signs. Sometimes you could feel where the trail was because it was firmer snow from old traffic. I was off trail for at least an hour at one point but then found it again somehow. The trail follows a valley where South Willow Creek is so I knew the general direction.
A tiring day breaking trail but nice woods and some open areas that would have views on a clearer day. Skiing here would be great. Quiet except for a number of birds I could hear but could not see.
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