Donner Snow Park with REI (Nevada County, California)

Over the past couple of years, I have made an attempt to get something of a formal education in outdoor skills. REI's Outdoor School, among other organizations, has been very helpful in this regard. Today, I am attending a Winter Survival course hosted by REI a the Donner Snow Park, along the Pacific Crest Trail and just East of Boreal Ski Resort. 

Arriving a few minutes early, I suit up with my snow-shoes and plenty of layers. The day is beautiful and we have about two feet of powder on the local hills. Not enough to brag about, but it is still early in the season. The class today will consist of just one other student and the instructor, both of which are pleasant fellows.

We head south on, what during the normal season, would be the PCT in our snow-shoes, setting a pretty good pace. To the north, Castle Peak overlooks our training with interest. During the day, we cover essentials like gear, navigation, water acquisition and shelter building. I had never considered using the snow itself as such an integral part of a shelter, but it makes perfect sense. Overall, the time passed pretty quickly. I didn't track it, but would estimate we traveled about 2.5 miles via snow-shoe. It was a good day.