Snow Day in Munds Park

If you recall, our New Year’s Day snow shoeing tradition was rained out this year. We had to bail and turn back home. Imagine my surprise after driving for 1 ½ hours only to be back at the same place we started. Very strange indeed! I was quite confused for a few moments, but I’m a dog. So, I ran around the house happy to be home even though we didn’t do anything. You can learn much from me, grass hopper.

I thought all was lost, but Mom had my back. On Thursday, we loaded the truck up again and made our Happy New Year attempt “take two.” All the rain eventually turned to snow up north, and snow it did. Yowsa!

We didn’t have to go all the way up to Flagstaff. No siree Bob, whoever that is; we pulled off I-17 north at Munds Park (only one exit), and we headed East on Pinewood. We drove through some beautiful cabins and homes, and as the road winded around, it became a winter wonderland. Just beautiful!

During the winter, this road is closed. Right before the gate on your left will be a parking lot for the Kelly OHV trail system. That’s where we parked, and it is free. During the summer, Pinewood is open and goes all the way to Mormon Lake in Flagstaff.

Note for humans: no restrooms. We stopped at the mart right off the exit so Mom and Dad could relieve their morning coffee.

We weren’t the only ones, but it wasn’t crowded like Flagstaff would be. Dad scoped out the trail system map. Several trails were available, but Pinewood was packed snow. We opted to go for a snow walk rather than a snow shoe since my foot is just now healed. Mom and Dad would use snow shoes, but I’d be breaking trail in over two feet of snow. Yes, the snow was up over Mom’s knees!

We met a nice family who used to live in Colorado like us but call Arizona home. They had special skies on. Dad said they were cross country skiing. The packed snow would make great trails for them.

Away we went! I started off running because I was so excited, but I quickly felt the 6,800 feet of elevation and slowed down. The sun was hiding behind clouds, but there wasn’t any wind. Even though it was chilly, we stayed warm as long as we kept moving.

We saw some big paw prints in the snow, and we wondered what kind of beast made the marks. I didn’t dwell on it too long because I had too many other things to do like smell the mouse under the snow. Pounce! I was deep in the snow but missed the mouse. Back in the day, I would have caught that mouse. It was his lucky day is all I can say. Back onto the trail I went.

After walking a little over a mile, we decided to find a nice spot for lunch. Mom found a log in the forest, and Dad shoveled out the snow. He is good at making a comfortable place to sit and brings these cushions to keep their buns warm. As he made some hot tea, Mom gave me my jerky. We ate and enjoyed the tranquility with the only sound being the pieces of snow falling off of the trees.

I started to shiver a bit, and Mom wrapped her scarf around me. I had my coat on, but I just won’t wear booties. Can’t do it – no way, no how. After a while, Dad started packing everything back up. Mom thought I should get moving, so she started making her way through the deep snow back to the trail. I was right behind her when, all of a sudden, she fell. That’s the last thing I saw…her butt! She went down in the deep snow and buried my head. Um, a little help here! All I saw was white! It took her a minute to realize what happened, and when she turned around, all she saw was my tail up high…head buried in the snow.

I’m a good boy and waited patiently for mom to get her fanny off my head. It wasn’t easy moving around in that snow. It didn’t help that Mom was laughing so hard. Dad just watched in amazement…forgetting to get the camera out. Good thing she teaches yoga. She rolled on her side like she tells her class, and went into the Child’s pose. Then, she did a Downward Dog to get up. Snow yoga – a new thing? Perhaps not.

I was eventually set free and just needed a good shake, and I was good. Onward! I’m not sure I want to speak of this again.

Back to the car we walked. All in all, we walked about 2.5 miles. You could go as short or as long as you wanted. With the options of packed snow or off trail, you can do a variety of snow activities. We really liked how quiet it was with fewer people than the normal spots in Flagstaff, so we will definitely return to Munds Park.

Again, I wish everyone a very happy and healthy new year! May it be full of great adventures.

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, executive recruiter, business consultant, coach, fitness expert, and author of nine 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!