Another "first" for the boys of Crew 18! With a little introduction to the idea from their Adviser, the boys decided to try their hand (feet rather) at snow shoeing this Spring Break. 9 out of the 10 members of this bunch had never strapped snow shoes on their feet before this day so this was destined to be a great learning experience.
Left to Right - Jamee, Jeff, Ben, Darrin, Tim, Wes, Brady, Luis, Barrett
The Mount Tahoma Trails Association (MTTA) is a non-profit organization based in Ashford, Wa. They manage and maintain hundreds of miles of trails on state land for hiking, cross country skiing, and snow shoeing. They also have several cabins in the middle of the wilderness, away from civilization, but furnished with everything you need for a comfortable stay. They charge a small reservation fee per person but other than that, it is free to use the facilities!
We got into snow as we climbed in elevation. The chains broke on one Suburban so we loaded everything on the other and climbed onto the back to keep going. 
On the trail and ready to climb. The trail from the SnoPark to the cabin is 4 miles long with decent elevation gain.
Everyone got the hang of the shoes very fast and all were amazed at how easy it was...well, easy is a relative term referring to walking without the support of the shoes. As opposed to staying on top of the snow, without the snow shoes you would sink to your calves in the slush.
We were staying at the Copper Creek cabin and it was a welcome sight after the 5 hour hike in. Although the scenery was beautiful, the thought of a warm cabin and hot dinner was very inviting. As you can see below, the snow level was very high and the doors had to be dug out to gain access. The boys had fun jumping out of the 2nd story windows into the snow drift below.
Tim and Luis in the mud room.
The cabins are furnished by volunteers with everything you could need, from the propane oven and fire place to the sleeping pads in the loft. The only real primitive elements are that there is cell phone service, no electricity, and that you have to gather snow, melt it on the fire place, and filter it before drinking. There was even a puzzle that entertained Barrett and Darrin while warming up their toes.
Benjamin found his "comfy" spot next to the fire place and enjoyed some quite time while the others were out playing in the snow.
As a Boy Scout Crew, we decided that a service project would be in order so we dug out the snow mobile storage for the ski patrol. It is always amazing how much energy one can burn shoveling snow!
One of the best times was climbing the nearby hill through the fresh powder. It made for a perfect snowball fight arena with the small jack pines and snow drifts for cover. Once on the top, we had the battle of all battles with full contact snow wrestling and "Matrix" style movements from Burbidge.
