On a sunny winter day after some mild weather, the snow conditions allowed hiking on stomped in tracks.     I put on microspikes and hiked snowshoed/fat tire tracks through the Dogwood Marshes and up through the forest in a loop route.    Anywhere off the established tracks meant sinking into the snow so I followed only stomped-in routes, without creating any postholes.

The snow was a bit thin in the open areas after some warmer weather.    The winter sun was very welcome as I hiked through the red-osier-dogwood-fringed marshes.

From the marshes tracks led up through open pine forests, mostly following open tracks, but sometimes snowshoers or bikers wound through the trees.

This loop took about 1.25 hours.     It was quiet in the area.     There were a few animal tracks and a few birds in the trees, but the Bush Lakes – Dogwood Marshes area has the best snowshoeing in the region, especially after tracks have been stomped in.