Adventures

I have always found Mt Jefferson (Oregon's second tallest peak) to be one of the best looking of the cascade volcanoes when it is snow covered. This weekend I decided to take an exploratory trip up the SW Ridge climbing route. My goal was not to summit, but possibly get as high as the "Red Saddle" a couple hundred feet below the summit pinnacle. The weather was forecast to be warm with winds around 45 mph. I hate wind, but decided to go anyway. It has been a while since I last climbed and I have been eager to get out again.

My dad, Steve, drove up from Reno, NV to visit for the weekend. I had been trying to get him to come up for a snowmobile trip for the past few weeks, but weather and timing didn't line up until this weekend. Unfortunately the warmer than usual temperatures and less-than-average snow pack limited our snowmobiling options. I didn't want to drive all the way to Central Oregon, so we decided to try out Mt Saint Helens. From other reports it sounded like there was still enough snow to snowmobile out of Marble Mountain Sno-Park on the South side of Mount Saint Helens.

Spring is here and Katie and I decided to go on our first non-snow hike of the year on Sunday. We had driven by the Dog Mountain trailhead the weekend before en route to Mt Adams and thought it might be a fun hike to try. The trailhead is just East of mile post 53 on Hwy 14. It's about 55 miles East of Vancouver, Washington across the Columbia River from Mt Defiance. The trail is marked as 3.8 miles one-way, but is probably closer to 3 miles. It's a fairly steep trail, gaining over 2,800 feet to the summit. There are a couple different route options to keep things interesting.

I am stubborn, as most would attest to, and not willing to give up on winter yet. I took my friend Ryan snowmobiling today for his first time even though Spring is here. I knew we would probably find plenty of bare road, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to go out one last time from Skyline Sno-Park in the Mt Hood National Forest. We had fresh snow the day before and overnight, so I was hopeful to find at least a few miles of riding.

Katie and I pulled the snowmobiles over to Mt Adams on Saturday for an exploratory trip. I wanted to see how much snow was around and maybe get up onto the A.G. Aiken Lava Bed on the South side of Mt Adams near the boundary of the Yakama Indian Reservation. The A.G. Aiken Lava Bed is just over one mile East of the popular South climb trailhead at Cold Springs campground. The weather forecast was not stellar, with high winds and snow showers predicted, but we hoped to at least find some fresh snow to ride on.

After vacationing in Mexico last week, I was eager to get back in the snow. The weather was forecasted to be beautiful with temperatures in Portland hitting the upper 70's Saturday. My friend John and I planed to snowmobile around Mount Saint Helens and the Plains of Abraham. Mount Saint Helens (50 miles NE of Portland, Oregon), an active stratovolcano, is famous for its eruption on May 18, 1980. Now only 8,363 feet tall, the mountain previously stood at 9,677 feet tall. The Plains of Abraham on the East side of Mount St. Helens is a popular destination for snowmobilers.

Katie and I spent the day Wednesday exploring the Mayan ruins of Tulum and enjoying the Caribbean Sea at the public beach below. We have both visited Tulum before, but this was our first time enjoying the beautiful beach situated right below the ruins. We took the ADO (public bus) from Playa Del Carmen to within about a mile of the ruins. It takes about an hour to get to Tulum via the ADO. We walked the last mile to the ruins, but there are other options for those not keen on walking.

Katie and I visited the Myana ruins of Tulum and Chichén Itzá on our last trip to Mexico, so we decided it would be fun to visit Cobá this time. Cobá is about a 90 minute taxi ride from Playa Del Carmen. We were able to rent a taxi for the day for 1300 pesos, but one could also book a tour bus or take the public ADO bus (like Greyhound in the US).

Katie and I arrived in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico yesterday afternoon for a much-needed vacation in the sun. We have friends getting married here on Friday and have been looking forward to the trip.

Spring is in the air, but I am not quite ready for it to arrive. On Saturday I took my friend Donnie from work on his first snowmobile adventure. We left early, thinking Skyline Sno-Park (South of Mt Hood) would fill up quickly due to the sunny weather forecast. I was wrong. Skyline was the least busy I have ever seen it. Maybe the beautiful weather sent everyone over to ride on Mt Saint Helens.

I took Katie on her first snow camping trip this weekend. She agreed to go as long as I kept the wood stove going all night to keep her warm. We had originally planned on going to Mt Saint Helens, but the weather forecast was not as good as we would have liked. Instead we planned on going to Bonney Meadows which is on the Southeast side of Mt. Hood about 1.5 miles NW of Boulder Lake.

I have been looking forward to shredding some gnar pow on the snowmobiles and finally the weather has cooperated. Two to three feet of snow has fallen in the Mt Hood area over the past couple of days. The weather forecast was a little tamer for Sunday, so my friend John and I decided to go out and ride toward Olallie Lake from Skyline Sno-Park. This area is right between Mt Hood and Mt Jefferson.

We had family come into town this weekend from San Diego, CA (my aunt and two of my cousins), so we planned a snow day up near Frog Lake, Oregon. Originally Katie and I had planned to go up on Saturday, get everything set up, and snow camp overnight before l everyone else arrived on Sunday. Unfortunately the weather forecast for Saturday predicted rain in the mountains, so we held off going up until early Sunday morning.

What better way to finish the weekend than with another snowmobile adventure? On Sunday my friend John and I went snowmobiling from Frog Lake Sno-Park (about 7 miles SE of Government Camp, Oregon). I wanted to ride about 20 miles to the area where we have been deer hunting the past few years near Badger Lake. There are some clearcuts and open areas that could be potentially fun on a snowmobile.

February 9^th, 2013 marks the 30^th year the Mt. Hood Snowmobile Club has hosted the Candlelighters Family Snow Day on Mt. Hood. This all day event at Skyline Sno-Park includes sledding, snowmobile rides, games, hot cocoa, coffee, drinks, snacks, hot dogs and chili. It's a great way to give something special to families who are or have been touched by childhood cancer.