After how cold the 2014 winter season felt, Jessica and I have been determined to enjoy this winter more by getting outside. Having Maisie has been great for motivating us to go for walks, hikes, and snowshoes. Maisie LOVES the snow, and in the past few weeks, we have really gotten a lot of it. Our first big storm of the season–Juno–dropped almost 3 feet on us. Less than a week later another storm dropped another foot.

All of the snow has made getting outside exciting but colder. Upgrading some of my winter gear (a new down jacket, snow pants, and warmer mittens) has definitely made me more comfortable and better able to enjoy the winter. It really is true that, with the right gear, you can be comfortable outside in most weather.

I have brought my camera on a few of our walks, hikes, and snowshoes and I wanted to share a few of the shots here. I haven’t shot snow much, but it is a fun challenge to try to get it exposed correctly. Hopefully these inspire you to get out:

     When Jessica and I hike with Maisie, we sometimes clip her leash to our pack so that our hands can remain free. This backfired though when Maisie got excited and took off after something. Her momentum pulled the leash tight and took Jessica down! Getting up out of thick powder in snowshoes isn’t easy!