This post is a love letter to ski season 24-25. It was absolutely incredible! There were so many wonderful days on the slopes I wanted to recap the highlights here for posterity. This story is mainly for my benefit, so if skiing's not your thing, feel free to breeze by the pictures and move on.....
First day of the season - in November!
After enduring several past winters of skimpy to non-existent mountain snow throughout the month of December, this year's ski season got off to a stellar start. Huge storms walloped the Cascade Mountains in early November and Mt. Hood Meadows, my local ski area, opened on the ridiculously early date of November 15th (they usually don't open until early December if we're lucky.) By November 21st, there was a good four feet of snow on the ground, and the resort began 7-day-a-week operations, with nearly all of the chairlifts running. My first ski day of the season was on November 25th, the earliest I've ever started in nearly 20 years. And conditions were excellent! It didn't look like early season, that's for sure!
Kim in the powder
Of course I went back right after Thanksgiving for two more wonderful days on the first week of December. The following week, I got my good friend and best ski buddy Kim up to Meadows to enjoy a deep dumping of lovely powder snow. Conditions were sublime!
Photobombed!
We always have fun on the slopes, taking selfies and photobombing each other.
My son at Showdown, Montana
Over Christmas, my hubby and I visited our son in Montana. My son's local ski area was also doing great in the snow department, so one day we headed over to the tiny resort of Showdown to enjoy a sunny day on the slopes. Although temps were frigid, the four inches of light, fluffy powder snow that blanketed the slopes were amazing.
Having fun with my son
It's always extra special when I can ski with my son!
Glen getting ready for the "Vista Experience"
Another of my long-time ski buddies is former co-worker Glen. We've been sharing the slopes together since the late 90's. Glen is now 78 years old, but the way he skis, you wouldn't know it. Mt. Hood Meadows gives a free season pass to anyone over 75, so Glen has been skiing free for 3 years now. (He was sooo happy when he reached 75 and got his first freebie pass!)
Lovely Mt. Hood from the top of Vista lift
On the of the chairlifts at Meadows is named "Vista." Several wide-open cruising runs fan out from its upper terminal. Glen's favorite is one nicknamed the "Vista Experience." After all these years, we've yet to determine what exactly is a "Vista Experience" and it's become our running joke. Either way, it gives wonderful views of Mt. Hood as one skis down the mountain.
My new ski buddy Deneen
Another person I've started skiing a bunch with this season is Deneen. I met her through work, when we were both assigned to transit projects. Deneen retired this winter, and looking for people to ski with, reached out to me. We both purchased midweek season passes for Mt. Hood Meadows and I introduced Deneen to the glories of weekday skiing (no crowds and zero lift lines!)
Cool clouds over Mt. Hood
Deneen used to work for the Mt. Hood Ski Patrol, so she was an excellent skier. It was fun to ski with someone who challenged me and wasn't afraid to try the steeper slopes and ungroomed snow. I was starting to get lazy, preferring blue groomers. Deneen reminded me how fun it is to try some of the off-piste runs.
Mt. Bachelor summit
Not only did I have a Meadows pass this winter, I also purchased a midweek season pass to nearby Mt. Bachelor. Located in Central Oregon, about a 4-hour drive from home, it's hands down my favorite Oregon ski resort. Not only does my buddy Kim own a vacation home nearby, one of my brothers lives in the nearby town of Bend. And he likes to ski!
The ride down from Mt. Bachelor summit
I made five trips to Mt. Bachelor over the 24-25 season, roughly once a month from December to April. January came with three weeks of unusually sunny and dry weather. Besides sunshine and great views, these springlike conditions meant Bachelor could open Summit chairlift. (Winter storms often keep this lift closed for days on end.) As it's name implies, this lift takes skiers to the very top of 9,000 foot Mt. Bachelor. Although a wee bit steep, it's an amazing trip down from the summit. The views are spectacular!
Skiing with my brother
And it's always great fun to ski with my brother.
Mt. Hood Meadows has the best Hood views
Back at Meadows here - enjoying more January sunshine with friends Kim and Young. Mt. Hood Meadows has some of the best views of Mt. Hood from it's ski slopes. Although the snow was getting a bit icy and skied out from three weeks of dry weather, we were happy for the sunny skies.
Tumalo Mtn from Mt. Bachelor
The snow finally returned in February. Although that meant low visibility and tough driving conditions, it sure was nice to have fresh powder.
February snowstorm
Kim and I returned to Mt. Bachelor to enjoy the snowy conditions. We had another fun ski day with my brother - although neither of them were looking when I tried to capture this selfie.
Kim enjoys the pow
I do love storm skiing. Although visibility can sometimes be a challenge, you can't beat fresh tracks every time!
Stellar mountain views from Mt. Bachelor's slopes
Lucky for us, skies cleared briefly on our last February Bachelor day, treating us to stellar views of the surrounding mountains. This is one of the many reasons I ski here!
Mt. Hood view on the highway approaching Meadows
The highway approaching Meadows gives some amazing Mt. Hood views. Gets me all excited to ski every time! I captured this one sunny morning heading up to ski (no, I wasn't driving.)
Mt. Jefferson view from Mt. Hood Meadows
One day Deneen and I arrived at Meadows, and the staff had groomed lots of runs - many more than usual. We were like kids in a candy store.
Deneen preparing to ski "Sunburst"
This is what a freshly groomed run looks like. Skiers refer to the marks made by the grooming machine as "corduroy." There's nothing better than making first tracks on fresh corduroy. Early in the season Deneen discovered an out-of-the way run called "Sunburst" and when conditions were good, it quickly became our favorite. The run usually wasn't ever groomed, but on this day it was! After making first tracks, we returned to Sunburst again and again - it was that good!
We ended up logging 26 runs that day - a new record for us both.
Frigid day in February
However it was frigidly cold that day. Temps hovered in the low teens, with an even colder windchill. I put on so many layers, I felt like the Michelin Man. And my nose got so cold, even that had to be covered up. Looking back I can't believe I lasted so long in that artic blast. Of course I took a selfie to commemorate our bundled selves. (We even had nearly matching purple jackets!)
The gang's all here!
My friends Young and John were frequent Meadows visitors. John loved to ski so much, it seemed he was always on the slopes. John ended up with over 60 ski days this season! Here's a group photo from a day when Kim, Glen, and I met up with Young and John. You can tell we were having a good time.
Kim skiing down from Cascade
At 7,300 feet, the Cascade chairlift is the highest lift at Mt. Hood Meadows. Like the Mt. Bachelor Summit lift, windy, stormy conditions often keep it closed. But when Cascade is spinning, everyone heads up high to enjoy the wide open slopes and Mt. Hood views. I enjoyed quite a few Cascade days this season.
St. Patrick's Day at Mt Bachelor
Back to Mt. Bachelor for St. Patrick's Day! A huge snowstorm dumped several inches of snow the day before. Not fun to drive through but sure great to ski in. Talk about luck of the Irish - the sun came out and we enjoyed a bluebird powder day. One of the best days of the season!
Look how deep the snow is!
Although the first day of our Bachelor trip was sunny, the next two were quite stormy. Winds were howling, and visibility was bad. But the snow was sure good! The fourth day got so windy, it forced the ski resort to close nearly all of the lifts. I didn't bother going up. You don't want to be on a chairlift in high winds.
My brother sporting green beads
There were many other memorable ski days this season. In early March, Deneen and I enjoyed more great grooming at Meadows. Conditions were so good we ended up skiing past 3:30 and logging a new record 29 runs, smashing our previous record of 26. Boy was I tired that evening!
Yeah, my brother is much taller
Stormy second day
It wasn't all glorious sunny powder days - I had one trip where temps hovered just above freezing and it started to snow, which soon switched to rain. There is nothing fun about skiing in the rain. Once my gloves soak through (which takes about 2 hours) I'm done! Skiers call rain the four-letter "R" word.
Soggy chairlift ride
We're lucky in Oregon to enjoy a long ski season. Although we often get slow starts, March and April snowstorms usually keep the chairlifts turning until early May at Meadows and Memorial Day at Mt. Bachelor. And Timberline ski area, on Mt Hood's south side, usually operates into the summer months.
Celebrating my last day of the season
But as the season begins to wind down, resorts close lifts and terrain, and then start to cut back operating hours and days. After April 20th, Meadows was only open weekends. I skied my final day of the season on April 17th.
Kim and I met up with Young and John that day. I was surprised to see John wearing jeans instead of his usual ski pants. John confessed he'd forgotten his ski bibs on the couch at home! The joke is always that only newbies or people who aren't very good ski in jeans, so we gave John a bit of good-natured ribbing. But as you'll see in the above video I shot on my GoPro camera, John is an excellent skier.
Such a great year - I didn't want it to end
Final stats for the 24-25 season: 42 total ski days (a new personal record!) One day at Showdown Montana, 14 days at Mt. Bachelor, and 27 days at Mt. Hood Meadows. I certainly got my money's worth on both season ski passes! Although it was an incredible season, I wasn't ready for it to end. I'm missing my ski days already.
Back in the parking lot
And although I could still ski at Mt. Bachelor in May, blooming wildflowers in the Gorge are calling my name. I've hung up my skis, and put away my gear. It's time to hike.
Spring is the time to hike the Eastern Columbia River Gorge. The trails here are snow-free by early spring, wildflowers are blooming, and the sunny, dry skies offer a great escape from the gloomy, wet Portland area.
Well....it usually doesn't rain out here.
Labyrinth Falls
In late March, hiking friends Debbie and Barry were able to tear me away from skiing once again with the promise of visiting one of my favorite Gorge trails - the mysterious Labyrinth. This path winds uphill through pillars of columnar basalt, past wildflower meadows, and twisted oak groves. It boasts sweeping views of the Columbia River and Oregon side of the Gorge.
Raindrop-spangled grass widow
Sunny, dry weather was forecast for our chosen hike day. So imagine my friends and I's surprise when raindrops greeted our arrival at the trailhead. What the what?
The rain made the wildflower blooms pretty!
Good thing my friends and I are prepared hikers. Living in the PNW, we know to always bring our rain jackets and pack covers, even when precip isn't in the forecast. So no big deal, we suited up for the wet stuff and soldiered on down the trail.
More water-kissed foliage
The trail began on an old road that used to be the main highway on the Washington side of the Gorge. We passed a lovely waterfall, flowing mightily thanks to the current rainfall.
Looking across a foggy Columbia River
After a half mile on the old road, we left the asphalt for a dirt trail the led us uphill through rocky passages. Purple grass widows were still blooming, and I discovered an unexpected benefit to the day's precip - the raindrops on their petals were most striking. Made for some excellent photo ops!
Our trail wound through an oak grove
As my friends and I climbed higher, the gentle rain gave way to a light mist. We passed through the first of many oak forests, this one below a large basalt formation popular with local rock climbers.
Climbing through the rocks
Cloudy skies and fog hugging the Columbia River didn't allow for many great views. But I was happy for the cool temperatures that made our climb much more tolerable. The mist eventually stopped, and although still cloudy, at least things were starting to dry up.
Gnarly oak branches
From the Labyrinth, we took a connector trail that led us across a ridge towards Catherine Creek's towering stone cliffs. We'd have to traverse a talus slope to reach the top. Just before beginning this climb, I spotted the first balsamroot flower of the season. Yeah! That meant it wouldn't be long before the Gorge meadows were filled with their cheery yellow blossoms (and more camera fodder for me!)
First balsamroot bloom of the season!
From the cliff rim, it was a mile-long uphill slog through an open, grassy meadow to our next junction with abandoned Atwood Road. From previous trips, I remembered lots of huffing and puffing to reach the top. But today I discovered all the skiing I've been doing this winter really strengthened my legs, and I powered up to the road no problem.
Lots of desert parsley
Atwood Road contoured along a high ridge, providing nice views of the Gorge and Columbia River, far below. The clouds were beginning to clear, and we could see much further distances now. After a mile of generally easy hiking, my friends and I returned to the Upper Labyrinth Trail. From here it was all downhill.
Huge field of grass widows
Heading downhill to dry conditions and partly cloudy skies, our return loop felt like a totally different hike from the morning's wet, foggy trip. No more raindrops on the flowers, but with better light I had fun photographing some of the larger fields of grass widow blooms.
Heading back down to dry skies
Speaking of wildflowers, spiky, yellow desert parsley bloomed profusely at several points along the trail. It was especially thick right before one of the tall basalt formations.
Nice river views
About a mile before our junction with the old highway, I spied a bit of blue sky starting to peek out from the clouds. It was actually warm enough to finally remove a layer of clothing. I took advantage of these great conditions to capture a few panoramic Gorge views from one of the lower viewpoints.
Finally some clearing skies
Despite the unexpected rain, it was still great to revisit a favorite trail and enjoy the spring wildflowers. Remember, there's no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear!
This winter has been such a great snow year in the mountains, I've been concentrating more on skiing than hiking. However, in early March my friends Debbie and Barry managed to lure me back into the woods to check out a favorite trail.
Interesting moss
Nestled deep in the Oregon Coast Range is a wonderful path called the Gnat Creek Trail. Paralleling lovely Gnat Creek, it wanders through thick forests covered in moss, lichen and ferns. I'd hiked this trail in January 2022 with another friend (see post here) and was so impressed, I knew it wouldn't be a "one and done." However, I didn't think it would take three years to return!
The forest floor was carpeted with moss
Bright and early on March 1st, my friends and I drove winding Highway 30, following the mighty Columbia River, to reach our chosen trail for the day. After traveling nearly to the highway's end at the town of Astoria, we reached the trailhead, merely a wide spot in a gravel road.
Admiring all the greenery
Although the day began a bit chilly, the skies were thankfully dry. From the parking area, my friends and I climbed steeply uphill smack dab into a mossy wonderland. We spotted fuzzy moss carpeting the forest floor, and larger specimens that looked a bit like miniature ferns. Long strands of lichen hung from tree branches like gauzy draperies. In an otherwise leafless winter landscape, this explosion of green was much welcome.
Big tree and stump
My friends and I wound through a thick forest, oohing and aahing over all the greenery. We spotted Gnat Creek far below our path. Surrounded by numerous trees, the creek only offered occasional glimpses of its rushing waters.
Small creek crossing
As we continued the trail began to gradually wind downhill, bringing my friends and I closer to Gnat Creek's banks. Although I'd spotted lots of fisherman on my previous visit, today we didn't see any (must've been off-season.)
Fern-lined Gnat Creek
A mile of wandering through this lush, green-hued wonderland brought us to an intersection with a very busy Highway 30. The trail continued on the road's opposite side. After a bit of a wait for a gap in the traffic, we all three quickly scrambled across.
Hall of mosses
From the last time I'd hiked this trail, I remembered a continuation through more lush coastal forest. However, I was disappointed to find the trail was now leading through a bleak clear cut. What had happened here?
Rapids on Gnat Creek
The trail had been rebuilt through this clearing. Signboards spaced along its length informed visitors of the trees and shrubs one could find in the Coast Range. (Yeah, all the trees that used to be here!) Then we came upon a display that explained the trees in this area had succumbed to some sort of disease, and had to be taken down. Understandable, but still very sad to see. (And although I took pictures of the devastation, I just couldn't bring myself to post one of them here.)
Smile everyone!
Past the clear cut area, my friends and I emerged onto the grounds of the Gnat Creek Fish Hatchery. Two cozy homes sat on the outskirts, one surrounded by the neatest woodpiles I've ever seen. We continued past large concrete holding tanks full of tiny salmon. From my past visit, I remembered the trail split into two separate paths, looping around the hatchery grounds, before combining again at the Upper Gnat Creek Trail.
Old nature trail marker
My friends and I randomly chose the first trail we came across, and it went uphill through a boring stand of second growth before finally descending to a viewpoint of Gnat Creek. A bit of confusion ensued, as I tried to remember the location of Upper Gnat Creek Trail. After a short wander, we came out on a road to signs pointing the way. Whew!
Debbie found Sasquatch!
Not far into the Upper Gnat Creek trail, we spotted something in the trees. Someone, probably a fish hatchery employee with a sense of humor, had affixed a huge cutout of Sasquatch to a nearby tree. It was a fun photo op, and Debbie graciously volunteered to be my Sasquatch model. (Who says Bigfoot doesn't exist?)
Gorgeous forest
The Upper Gnat Creek trail featured more of the same luscious, green coastal forest. We climbed uphill, and then descended to cross several tiny creeks.
Spooky looking trees
One section of the trail was full of trees absolutely dripping with long lichen strands. They kind of looked spooky - reminded me of wispy ghosts with bony arms waiting to grab someone.
More moss-draped trees
Last time I'd hiked the Gnat Creek Trail, I had to turn around short of trail's terminus. A landslide had rendered the last half mile or so impassible. However, the trail now repaired, today I was able to follow it to the very end.
Small bench at trail turn-around point
The Gnat Creek Trail dead-ended in a lovely grove of fir and cedar trees with nice views of the creek. Someone had thoughtfully placed a log bench at the small viewpoint.
This old stump looks like a face!
Now it was time for us to retrace our steps back to the trailhead. Which is what my friends and I did. The nice thing about an out-and-back hike - you get to see the same beautiful scenery twice.
World of green
My favorite part of the entire trail was the half mile before the fish hatchery grounds. It meandered through another mossy forest, past huge old growth trees, and Gnat Creek was visible down below the tread. Benches and a few informational signs had been erected for visitors.
Return along Gnat Creek
Back through the fish hatchery, past the horrid clear-cut area, to a second successful dash across the highway. The final mile my friends and I again admired the ultra-green mossy, fern-y forest as we headed to the parking area.
Another view of Gnat Creek
Dense forest path
My friends enjoyed this trail as much as I did the first time. The large quantities of ferns, moss and lichen, as well as the huge fir and cedar trees, made this a beautiful place for a forest walk. It appeared to have few hikers - we didn't see anyone else except at the fish hatchery. I'm sure we'll be back again - maybe on another dry, late winter day!
