Snowmobiling

We had our first real snow storm Tuesday night into Wednesday. The snow came down below pass level on Mt Hood finally. I was beginning to wonder if it would ever get cold with the record warm days we have been having this month. Being the first storm and a forecast of rising snow levels this weekend, I took Thursday off to see if there was enough snow to snowmobile. I took my friend Kevin and we headed to my customary early season riding area at Bennett Pass Sno Park.

Snow levels have finally come back down to pass level, so my friend John and I went snowmobiling near Mt Hood on Sunday. We were the only ones at Skyline Sno Park. Most of the snow at pass level had melted since we were last up. But luckily there was enough new snow to cover the bare spots.

After not being able to host our annual family snow day last year due to a lack of snow, we were happy to continue with our tradition this weekend. We had eighteen of us this year with family from San Diego, CA and Reno, NV joining us. The weather was nearly perfect with mostly cloudy skies and a temperature around freezing much of the day.

I took my brother-in-law Scott snowmobiling Saturday near Mt Hood. We unloaded from Frog Lake SnoPark and had beautiful weather. The temperature started just below freezing and warmed into the upper 30's. The trails were packed snow with consolidated snow off trail.

The annual snow camping trip with my friend Kyle had finally arrived. Unfortunately the weather forecast was less than stellar, with rain in the mountains in January. That's Western Oregon for you: never predictable which makes planning anything in advance difficult.

While Julian spent the day with "Grammy", Katie and I went to the mountain to snowmobile. Originally we planned to ride from Frog Lake SnoPark, but it was too busy with dog sled races, so we ended up nearby at Skyline SnoPark. It was snowing lightly and about 24°F which was quite a bit warmer than last weekend.

It's the new year, so it's time for another adventure - snow camping with a two year old. Even through we were working around a toddler's schedule, we still managed to leave only 15 minutes later than I wanted. Luckily we still made it to Skyline SnoPark before it became crowded. It was 9°F when we arrived with moderate wind and snow flurries. It was definitely going to be a cold snow camping trip.

I had the last day of 2015 off today, so I took advantage and went up to the mountain to set up snow camp for tomorrow. I found a nice snow camping spot along Clear Creek not far from Skyline SnoPark a couple weeks ago, so Katie, Julian, and I plan to snow camp for one night on New Years Day 2016.

Katie and I both had Christmas eve off work, so we went up to Frog Lake SnoPark with our Mini Adventurer to introduce him to snowmobiling. We pulled him in a sled behind the snowmobiles last year, but this was his first time actually riding on one. We have a harness that attaches a child either to the front (which is what we did) or the back of an adult rider.

After a fun day snowmobiling yesterday, my friend Ryan and I headed to Frog Lake SnoPark today to ride. We were the first ones in the parking lot around 7:15 AM besides two cars that had been there overnight. It was about 28°F and dumping snow.

My mother-in-law was kind enough to watch my son today, so I was able to go snowmobiling while Katie stayed home wrapping gifts and getting ready for the holidays. Due to the late notice, I wasn't able to find anyone to go with me, so it was a solo trip. There is snow at Skyline SnoPark this year, so I headed there to ride for the day. I didn't make it to Skyline snopark at all last season because of the lack of snow. I hope this season continues to be great.

We had our first big dump of snow this season with over a foot at Mt Hood pass levels and over three feet up higher. John and I were stoked to go snowmobiling Sunday. We drove up to Frog Lake arriving around 7:15 AM. There was one other trailer already, but they had stayed overnight. The snopark had not been plowed, so it was challenging getting my truck and trailer through a foot of slush underneath/snow on top mix.

On Saturday we went Christmas tree hunting as a family. During our adventure, we made a detour to Bennett Pass SnoPark, so I could check out the snow conditions. To my surprise, we found enough snow to snowmobile. So I came back on Sunday with my friend Jordan for the first snowmobile ride of the 2015/16 season.

After seeing very little snow this winter, I was happy to see a few Spring snow storms roll over the Mt Hood area the past week. Enough snow fell in the higher elevations to afford me another snowmobile trip. It's like Christmas in April!

This has been one of the warmest winters in Oregon that I can remember. We have had very little snow accumulation in the mountains and no snowpack at pass level. It has been a disappointing season for snowmobiling. One positive is many roads are open that are usually impassable by passenger vehicles in the winter. This fact allowed my friend John and I to drive to the little bit of higher elevation snow that does exist.