Hiking

After spending much of the winter enjoying the sights and peaks of the Northern Oregon Cascades, Jason and I decided to travel further South and snowshoe to Maxwell Butte on Sunday. We left early, hoping to avoid any Spring Break traffic and have the trail at least partially to ourselves. Our reward was a nearly empty parking lot. The only cars there had clearly been left overnight. The sky was high overcast with a slight breeze and 29° F temperature when we arrived. Maxwell SnoPark is located approximately 28 miles Northwest of Sisters, Oregon along Highway 22.

After a fun night snow camping at Devils Half Acre Meadow, Matt and I took off on snowshoes for Barlow Butte. Since we were camped at the base of the butte on the Western side, we chose to go almost straight up from there. Our route was about 0.6 miles each way. The temperature was in the mid 20s F with no wind and mostly sunny skies. This was one of those times I regretted not bringing my sunglasses.

On Friday night, my friend John and I headed off with fully loaded pulk sleds to snow camp at Devils Half Acre Meadow. We left my house at about 2:30 PM and set out from the Barlow Pass SnoPark at around 4 PM. Another friend, Matt, planned to meet us there just after dark. It's an easy 1.2 mile hike downhill to the campground, which was our destination. The campground sits right at the base of Barlow Butte. The weather was a comfortable 29°F with moderate to heavy snow fall.

I have been eager to get back out in the snow since returning from vacation in Kauai. The tropical climate was nice and we had an amazing trip, but I love the snow and mountains of the Pacific Northwest. My friend Tyler and his friend Holli joined Katie and I on a non-technical climb Saturday to Eureka Peak. The route ( 5 mile round-trip) we took begins at the Trillium Lake SnoPark off hwy 26 about 3 miles Southeast of Government Camp.

On Tuesday the sun was shining and we were up early (5 AM) securing hiking permits for our June Half Dome hike in Yosemite. This was our second day on vacation with my parents and grandpa. Since we had an early start, we decided it would be a great day to hike to Hanakapi'ai Falls on the beautiful Hawaiian island of Kauai. The 8-mile round-trip hike starts at the end of highway 560 on the Northern part of Kauai. The trail becomes dangerous and nearly impassable during heavy rains, so the sunny weather worked in our favor.

I finally had a free day Sunday with okay weather for a solo climb up Mount Hood to Crater Rock. This was my first trip to this elevation on Mount Hood and my plan wasn't to climb all the way to the summit. I am saving that for a future trip. Mount Hood is Oregon's tallest peak at 11,239 feet elevation. It's known as Wy'east to the Multnomah Tribe. The route I took is known as the South Side Route and starts from the historic Timberline Lodge. It is about 6 miles to Crater Rock and back with an elevation gain of 4,000 feet.

After Katie and I returned from our overnight stay at the Barlow Butte Hut on Saturday morning, we headed out on our next adventure to Ghost Ridge. This is a fairly easy 1.6 mile (each way) trail to snowshoe. The first mile is along the Pacific Crest Trail. After that, the unmarked trail veers to the Southwest (to the right if coming from Barlow Pass SnoPark), away from the PCT.

After snowshoeing around Trillium Lake on Sunday, Katie and I decided to hike to the top of Mud Creek Ridge (SE of Trillium Lake). According to my map, the easiest approach is from the North with a gradual climb to the summit at 4,368 feet in elevation. The round-trip climb is less than two miles.

After the howling winds and rains last night, this morning was calm and dry. The storm finally brought a little fresh snow to the mountains. We took advantage of the weather break and headed to Trillium Lake SnoPark for a day of snowshoeing. There were a few other cars in the lot by 8 AM (most left overnight), but it wasn't busy yet. The temperature was just below freezing and rising as the sun was peeking out. We planned to snowshoe down to Trillium Lake and then loop around the lake before heading back for a total distance of 5 miles.

It continues to feels like spring in the middle of winter with warm temperatures and rain in the mountains. On Sunday, Katie and I decided to brave the wet conditions and head to Barlow Pass SnoPark for a full day of snowshoeing. I wanted to try the Barlow Butte Trail #670 and Katie eagerly agreed. If only she knew what she was getting herself into! I failed to mention the trail listed a difficulty rating of "Expert/Strenuous".

We left for White River SnoPark (off Hwy 35) before sunrise, hoping to beat the crowds of sledders and other snowshoers. Our plan was to hike up the Boy Scout Ridge trail above White River Canyon on the slopes of Mount Hood. The trail gains about 1,800 feet elevation over 2.5 miles. When we arrived, there were only 9 other vehicles in the parking lot and several had been there overnight. The temperature was about 30°F with a light breeze and low clouds. We were hoping the clouds would clear, so we could catch a glimpse of Mount Hood.

Today was a gorgeous winter day in Portland, Oregon. It felt like spring with the sun shining and temperature above 50°F. Katie managed to get off work early, so we decided to go on an impromptu adventure up to White River SnoPark on Mount Hood. We left a quarter after three hoping to make it before sunset at 5:09 PM. With light traffic, we arrived at the SnoPark at 4:30 PM.

Katie and I had been eager to try out our new Yukon Charlie's snowshoes, so we headed to Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood despite the rainy forecast. At 6,000 feet in elevation, Timberline was the highest place we could drive to. The snow level was predicted to be around 8,000 feet and wind gusts up to 55 mph. Not ideal conditions, but we really wanted to get out in the snow.

We began snowshoeing a little after 8 AM on Saturday in about 18 inches of snow. Our hike was about 3.5 miles uphill to 3,000 foot elevation near Shellrock Creek in the Upper Clackamas, Oregon. My brother-in-law Scott and I had been looking forward to this snow camping trip for a couple of weeks. The weather was calm with off-and-on snow showers and a temperature around 30°F. We chose this location for the relative solitude.

The weather Thursday in the Northern Oregon Cascades can only be described as perfect. The sun was shining, wind absent, and temperature around 20°F. John and I headed to Frog Lake SnoPark (SE of Government Camp on Hwy 26) on what turned out to be one of the busiest days of the year. The traffic was so bad it made the news. After about an hour delay, we finally made it to the SnoPark and set off on snowshoes to Twin Lakes.