Here in Phoenix, spring comes early, and we only have a little bit of winter left. As the wild flowers start to pop up here, other parts of the country, like Colorado, can have snow through May. Early spring makes my mom happy, but I do miss the snow and am always glad when we visit it. Sometimes, the visits are only in my mind…like Zimmerman Lake when we snow shoed.
Zimmerman Lake is located north of Fort Collins in Colorado. It’s a beautiful mountain lake with a 2.7-mile trail around it perfect for show shoeing. Of course, if you happen to get there in nice weather, you will still enjoy the scenery. The day we went, however, it was cold and full of snow.
Take the U.S. Highway 287 out of Fort Collins to Colorado Highway 14 and turn left onto CO 14. You’ll go about 58 miles west to the Zimmerman Lake trailhead, and the parking lot is on the left. It’s free and dogs are welcome.
If you know anything about me, you know I hate the three B’s: baths, bees, and booties. Well, my parents thought they would attempt to place booties on my paws to keep them safe. Ha! The human’s lost, and I won. I screamed for the entire world to hear, shook my legs, twirled around, and pretty much was a total pill. After I exhausted them and they gave up, they put on their snow shoes and off we went. My canine friends can relate, I am sure. Some of us just need our paws free!
And free I was to bound through the snow! It was awesome. The sky was blue with little wind, which can take 
a nice day and ruin it. The snow was as tall as me in many places. Wow! The trail is well marked, and we followed it around the lake. Elevation gain is mild with about 500 feet change. As with any mountain adventure, be sure to bring plenty of water. I had fun eating the snow. Mom warned me not to eat too fast so I wouldn’t get a brain freeze. Not sure what that is, but no freezing for me.
I love the smell of pine, and the trees were plentiful…so were the mountain views. On a clear day like this, you can see forever. We found a nice, quiet place to sit for our lunch. Dad heated up some tea for mom, and we soaked up the sun.
On the way back, I decided to give my dad a little extra workout by sitting on the back of his snow shoe, adding about 30 pounds to his lift. Hee hee. Okay, I got tired and needed to rest. Mom laughed pretty hard seeing me catch a ride. Hey, a dog has to do what a dog has to do! Woof. It didn’t take me long before I was bounding once again in the deep powder.
Our adventure went too fast, but I didn’t complain much. I was happy to curl up in my bed and take a nap. High altitude exercise can wear you out fast, but oh the great time we had! If you are ever in Northern Colorado, I encourage you to visit Zimmerman Lake. In the spring and summer, it will have great flowers. Have a great day!
Hi! I am Kumaito (Kuma for short), a multi-tan Shiba Inu. My breed is one of the oldest and purest from Japan. I personally was born in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, moved to Friendswood, Texas, and now call Phoenix, Arizona home. I enjoy running or hiking almost every day with my mom, chasing rabbits out of my neighborhood, playing with toys, pestering my brother Edmond, eating, napping … well, I love just about everything and everyone!
My mom, Lorraine Bossé-Smith is kind enough to help me share my Great Adventures, big and small. My mom is a motivational speaker, corporate trainer, business consultant, executive coach, behavioral-wellness expert, and author of eight published books. More importantly, she’s the best doggy mom ever!
Enjoy my blog at https://www.lorrainebosse-smith.com/category/kuma/kumas-great-adventures/
and be sure to follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kumathedog/ and Instagram: kumaitothedog
Get outside! You never know what you’ll discover, and our paths just might cross. Happy tails!
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