24
Jan
2011
jloomis

Winter Camping at Shellrock Creek, Oregon

With our recent warm weather and torrential rains, the snowpack has receded from the lower elevations in Northern Oregon. Instead of snow camping, my friends Tyler, John, and I decided to go car camping to Shellrock Creek Campground where there had been over a foot of snow just two weeks prior. Shellrock Creek Campground is on the lower portion of Shellrock Creek, which flows into the Oak Grove fork of the Clackamas River. We arrived early Saturday morning and found we would have the campground to ourselves. There were still patches of snow, but alot had melted. Area map.

Shellrock Creek     Camp Spot at Shellrock Creek

After setting up camp, the sun started to peek out. It warmed up to about 40°F and turned out to be a very pleasant day. We explored Shellrock Creek and noticed several smaller streams draining melted snow into the creek. During the summer, these smaller streams do not exist, so it was neat being able to see them. Shellrock Creek was running very high and flowing fast. The noise created a soothing backdrop at camp.

Sun Shining Through Haze in Trees     Tyler and John at Shellrock Creek Campground
Shellrock Creek, Oregon     Jason Standing near Shellrock Creek

I tested out the new Alpinismo Arete mummy bag and Fast n Lite sleeping pad by High Peak. The temperature only dipped into the upper 20's and we all stayed warm in our tents. The downed cedar we found for firewood provided a very enjoyable crackling campfire.

High Peak Alpinismo Arete Mummy Bag & Lite n Fast Sleeping Pad     Firewood at Shellrock Creek Campground

Tyler brought his .22 rifle, so after finding a safe backstop, we shot a few hundred rounds at an auto-resetting target. We had a blast trying to beat each other for most hits per 25-round clip. The best was 20.

Tyler Relaxing at Shellrock Creek Campground

We had a fun trip together at Shellrock Creek Campground. It was nice to see not all of the snow had melted. The weather almost felt like spring, but hopefully we still have plenty of winter to come. I look forward to our next adventure.

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1 comment

Tyler, Mon, 01/24/2011 - 17:22

Correction: best score was 23!

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