Loomis Adventures

I finally got my snowmobile put back together and just in time for the weekend. It looks brand new again and runs great. Katie and I decided to spend Sunday before the Super Bowl exploring the area around Little John Sno-Park. It's located about 26 miles South of Hood River, Oregon off hwy 35 on the East side of Mt Hood. It is a lower elevation sno-park, so the conditions are not generally as favorable as some of the more popular sno-parks around Mt Hood.

I couldn't stand the wait any longer, so Katie and I planned a snowmobile trip on Sunday with just one sled. This was my first time back on a snowmobile since my crash at Bonney Meadows in December. I am still waiting on parts to fix that snowmobile, but luckily its twin is in tip-top shape. We didn't have a particular agenda besides having fun and being safe. We chose to unload at Frog Lake Sno-Park, which is about 7 miles Southeast of Government Camp off Hwy 26.

Katie and I went hiking together today around Frog Lake. We started from Frog Lake SnoPark, which is about 7 miles Southeast of Government Camp off Hwy 26. Our plan was to take it easy and just hike a couple miles around the lake due to my leg and knee injury from snowmobiling last month. The weather forecast called for another calm, unseasonably warm sunny day up on the mountain.

It has been over a month since I last went out on an adventure. My last trip involved a snowmobile crash which has made it difficult for me to walk and has put me out of work. I tore part of my quadriceps muscle and also my medial meniscus in my knee. I started physical therapy this week and fortunately am walking much better now. As part of my rehabilitation to gain full range of motion in my left leg before knee surgery next month, I decided to go on a short snow hike today. The weather has been beautiful up in the mountains and I have been eager to get out and enjoy it.

Winter finally decided to arrive and snow continues to fall in the Northern Oregon Cascades. With a forecast calling for over a foot of new snow, my friend John and I decided to go snowmobiling and snow camping near Bennett Pass Sno-Park. This SnoPark is about 9 miles East of Government Camp, Oregon across from Mount Hood Meadows ski resort off Hwy 35. The trails at Bennett Pass are popular with cross country skiers and snowshoers.

Katie and I went out on our first snow adventure of the season together today. Even though the weather forecast was not great, we were both happy to be out doing what we love. We decided to head to White River Sno-Park (off hwy 35) to ski and snowshoe up to Boy Scout Ridge. This hike is about 2-2.5 miles (~1,800' elevation gain) depending on how far up you go and can have great views when the sun is out. The last time we were here was about two years ago on another poor weather day.

After working in Redmond the past couple weeks, I got to come home Wednesday and had Thursday off. The weather forecast was not great, but I was eager to get out and do some hiking on my day off. The snow level was forecasted to finally come down to around 2,500 feet. I decided to go hiking in the snow to McNeil Point on the West side of Mt Hood. Normally this hike would have amazing views (so I hear), but not this trip due to the weather.

I did some scouting for a place to snowmobile on my way home from Redmond on Friday. There is hardly any snow around pass level, but I found decent conditions at Bennett Pass Sno-Park. Bennett Pass SnoPark is about 9 miles East of Government Camp, Oregon across from Mount Hood Meadows ski resort off Hwy 35. The trails at Bennett Pass are mainly used by cross country skiers and snowshoers due to a point known as the "terrible traverse" approximately 2.4 miles in (see location on map below).