AMERICAN ROCKIES
GREAT ESCAPE
GREAT ESCAPE- Rocky Mountain
National Park
Mark the centennial of this national park
by strapping on some snowshoes – one of
many ways to discover its classic Rockies scenery
T
HE SNOW HAS JUST
stopped falling in Rocky
Mountain National Park,
and ranger Don Stewart is
preparing a small party of
visitors to set off on a snowshoe hike.
‘We have seasons on steroids here,’ he says,
with an eager glance at the unblemished
white blanket of five-foot-thick powder
all around. ‘Winter is a really delightful
time to come to the park. It’s quieter, and
beautiful with the fresh snow.’
Snowshoes may look more like
impediments than aids to walking, but
people have been using them in wintry
environments for centuries, from the Native
Americans with their distinct designs
unique to each tribe, through to French fur
trappers of the colonial period wearing what
appeared to be tennis rackets, to the moreSnowshoers follow park ranger
Don Stewart on a hike above
Bear Lake in Colorado’s Rocky
Mountain National Park