Early Snow

In most years, snow is slow to carpet nearby Mt Hood and it's surrounding foothills.  We're lucky if the ski resorts open by Thanksgiving - and if they do, it's with a measly 2 foot base (get out your "rock skis!")  But, 2020 continues to be unlike any year, and in Mt Hood's case, this has actually been a good thing.  In early November, storm after storm brought inches of the white stuff to Oregon's Cascade mountains.  By mid-November nearly three feet of snow was covering the lower reaches of Hood.

Time for an early-season Trillium Lake snowshoe hike to check things out.  So the Friday before Thanksgiving I decided to break in my car's new snow tires and head to the mountain.

Trillium Lake's fantastic Mt Hood view

Although the Mirror Lake Trailhead was packed with vehicles, just down the road Trillium Lake's sno-park had only three it's lot.  As I was changing boots and trying to decide if I needed my snowshoes, another car pulled in.  The woman driving rolled down her window and asked if this was the trail "to the lake." She also gave herself away as a tourist when she asked where Mt Hood was.  Pointing to the parking lot's prominent summit view I commented "You aren't from around here are you?"

 

Ice just beginning to form

 

As suspected, the woman admitted she was visiting from New York.  I told her Trillium Lake was only a mile and a half down the closed road, and it appeared the snow was packed enough that snowshoes weren't necessary.  She thanked me for the info, and with that I shouldered my backpack and camera bag and headed down the road.  I hadn't traveled far when a grove of frosty bushes provided my first photo stop.  I was delayed long enough that the New York lady caught up.  We started talking and ended up hiking together all the way to the lake.

Selfie time!

 

Since most of my hikes this year have been solo, it was nice to have company.  I chatted with the woman (6 feet apart of course!) and provided suggestions of other places to see during her stay.  The woman asked me to snap a few phone pics of her against the scenery.  Finally reaching the lake, with it's stellar Mt Hood view, my companion gasped in awe and handed me her phone again for a few Instagram-worthy shots.

More mountain views

With that, I parted ways with my new friend.  Having more places to visit, she retracted her steps back to the parking area, while I lingered around the lakeshore.  The weather was perfect - clear, blue skies and moderate temperatures.  Slogging through churned-up snow along the bank, I came to a sunny spot near the dam with killer Hood views.  Good place for a snack break!

Much too friendly gray jay eyeing my snacks

Sitting in the snow, munching on an energy bar and drinking tea, it didn't take long for the local gray jay population to take notice.  Several birds perched on nearby branches, eyeing my snacks.  I wasn't in the sharing mood so the birds were out of luck.  I did however manage to snap a few images of these cute feathered friends.

Sunburst

 

By this time it was late morning, and the recreational crowds began arriving.  A few groups of cross country skiers shuffled by, followed by another snowshoer.  I plowed through the snow on foot - it was surprisingly deep - to another vantage point across the earthen dam.  The sun's rays created lovely bursts of light and I managed to capture a couple photos I liked.
 

 

Frozen leaf

 

But the arrival of more folks made me decide it was time to leave.  Following the road back to the sno-park I began to encounter large groups of people until, over the last half mile, it became a continuous stream.  Despite the early wake-up time, getting to the lake early that day had had been a good decision.

The weather-guessers are predicting winter '20-'21 will be a La Nina year, which means wetter weather and more snow for the mountains.  This skier approves!  From the amount of snow I saw that day it appeared Mt Hood was off to a banner start.  But I'll keep doing my snow dances just in case (wink-wink!)

 

 

Frog Lake Non-Snowshoe Hike

Wanting to get a start on my 2020 hiking challenge, I asked my friend Catherine if she was available for a snowshoe hike the Friday immediately after New Year's Day.  Lucky for me, she also had the day off work, so we made plans to explore the area around Mt Hood's Frog Lake.

Foggy morning on Frog Lake

Arriving at the sno-park that morning, we debated whether to use our snowshoes or not.  A few days of warm sun and freezing nights had transformed the snow-covered trail from powdery fluffiness to white concrete.  After much hemming and hawing, Catherine and I finally decided to leave our snowshoes in the car.  We started out, our hiking boots easily traversing the well-packed snow covering the road to Frog Lake.

Photo op with classic Mt Hood view

After a quick mile we reached the turn off to the Frog Lake campground and day use area.  Following a rougher trail, Catherine and I dove into a thick forested lane, sunlight filtering through the tree branches.

Mt Hood looking over Frog Lake

Peeping through the foliage, Catherine glimpsed snow-covered Frog Lake and bushwacked to it's shore.  I followed suit, post-holing through some deep snow pockets until I came out onto the fog-covered lake.  Morning sun shining through the misty clouds made for some great photo ops.

My turn for a photo op!

Both Catherine and I had previous visits to this picturesque lake during warmer times.  Remembering an amazing view of Mt Hood from the far side, we followed the snowy shore in search of our favorite mountain.  Lucky for us, by the time we reached our destination, the fog had lifted to give us picture-perfect mountain views.

Icy lakeshore

After LOTS of photo ops, I packed away my camera and eyed the icy east shore.  A very faint boot-packed trail snaked through the snow up a steep slope.  It looked as though this path was the only way around the lake, so we gingerly climbed over slippery rocks.  The ice got so bad, I pulled out my microspikes and gave one to Catherine, while I put the other over my boot.  Figuring some traction was better than none at all, we slowly made our way up and over the icy track until thankfully reaching flatter, snowier woods.

Beautiful snowy woods

Making our way through the snowy campground, Catherine was happy to discover the outhouse still open - and even had a small amount of tp left on the roll!  Then following the campground road, we located the trail to Frog Lake Butte.  Should we continue?  Of course the answer was yes.

Snow-covered tree trunks

So up, up we climbed, through beautiful snow-sparkled woods.  At one point the trees cleared and I got a great view of Mt Jefferson.  Although the day was cold, the steep climb warmed me enough that I was removing layers trying to cool down.  Finally a junction with the Twin Lake trail came into view.  Catherine and I took a quick snack break, re-donned our jackets, and dusted off the snow-crusted trail signs.

Lower Twin Lake

After climbing for nearly a mile and a half, the downhill trek to Lower Twin Lake was a wonderful change.  However, snow was much deeper on this side of the ridge, and if not for a well-packed base underneath, we would've definitely needed our snowshoes.  The snowy woods here were absolutely gorgeous, and I may have taken a few photo breaks.  :)

Blue sky at Lower Twin Lake

After a lovely mile romp through the beautiful snow and forest, Catherine and I came upon another junction at ice-covered Lower Twin Lake.  Happily, blue sky was breaking through the clouds and sunshine sparkled off the snow.

The locals have noticed our presence

A great place to stop for lunch!  And we were famished.  Catherine found a log near the shore, and we gratefully slipped off our backpacks and readied ourselves for a nice break.

Friendly Gray Jay

But.....Catherine noticed a half dozen gray jays had perched in the tree directly above us.  And they were eyeing our food.  When we didn't immediately produce the goods, the birds flew over to another group of hikers to investigate their lunch offerings.

Catherine makes a new friend

Yes, I know feeding wildlife is a no-no, but the birds were so cute, we couldn't resist crushing up a small handful of trail mix nuts to tempt them back our way.  In no time, Catherine became popular with our feathered friends.  She had an entire flock landing on her outstretched arms.

Very popular with the birds

The birds were so intent on stealing a bite of my lunch, I had several land right on top of my head, just waiting for a chance to grab an apple slice.  It was obvious that these birds were very much used to getting handouts from hikers.

They all liked my hat

After spending a delightful hour eating lunch, enjoying the view, and being entertained by the gray jay's antics, it was time to continue our trek.  We climbed out of the Twin Lake basin up through more thick forest.  The afternoon sun occasionally burst through an opening, creating some nice scenes.

Afternoon light through the trees

For the final mile, Catherine and I followed a hard-packed, snowy Pacific Crest Trail, closing the loop back to the parking area for Frog Lake.  As we were packing up the car, a man with a huge backpack stopped by and asked if snowshoes were necessary to access Lower Twin Lake.  The man said he was planning to spend the weekend at the lake.  Although we'd traversed the entire loop without needing them, since snow was predicted for the weekend I advised the man to bring his snowshoes for the trip out.  Both Catherine and I were a little surprised the man had planned such an ambitious outing without checking the forecast.

Sunburst

It was a fun day exploring a new hiking/snowshoeing loop in the Mt Hood National Forest. And Catherine and I got away with a snowy trek sans snowshoes. 

Hike No. 1 of my 2020 challenge is now in the books!

If You Take a Photographer Snowshoeing....

If you take a photographer friend snowshoeing.....they just might want to capture sunrise on Mt Hood.  Meaning you'll probably rise at some ungodly early hour and end up shivering in predawn light, patiently waiting for the sun to show itself.

Mt Hood before sunrise

You'll likely gape in wonder watching the sky turn soft shades of pink.

The sky begins to turn pink...

And push the shutter like a woman possessed when light finally touches the very top of the mountain.

First light on the mountain

And you might even be too busy photographing Hood to look at the sky behind you.  Until a chance glimpse that direction makes you realize what you're missing.

The sky behind us

You might even be tempted to zoom way in on your favorite mountain - and capture some fantastic morning light on Hood's creamy white snowfields.

Golden hues light the snow

Once the sunrise show is over, your photographer friend might suggest snowshoeing two miles in to nearby Trillium Lake.  Because it's a bluebird day and there's a killer view of Mt Hood from there.

Light through the trees looks like stained glass

From the trailhead you and your photographer friend won't get far before you're blown away by the fantastic light creating patterns in the forest.  Much clicking of cameras will commence.

Sunburst!

If you take your photographer friend snowshoeing.......due to numerous photo breaks, it might take twice as long to reach your destination .

Tiny moon in blue sky

But neither of you will mind in the least.  Because she's your photographer friend, she'll understand completely.

Say cheese!

You might even get some really good images of yourself (normally being the one behind the camera, that never happens).

Mt Hood from Trillium Lake

Upon finally reaching Trillium Lake, you and your photographer friend will probably ooh and aah over the stunning Mt Hood views.

Snowy lakeshore scenes

Then you'll both get busy trying to capture countless images of the sparkly, new-fallen snow coating everything.

Flocked tree

Snow-covered branches

So many photo subjects!

No picnics today

Snowy lake

The snow seemed to sparkle

Frosty trees

After a good hour of camera-clicking fun, you and your friend will finally decide it's time to trek back to the car.

The return trail

Of course, the return trip is just as magical.

Lots of hikers at midday

By now the rest of the world has arrived on the mountain, and you encounter several groups of skiers and snowshoers heading to the lake.  But being early birds has it's advantages - you and your friend had the lake all to yourselves nearly the entire time.

The final climb

The last half mile requires a grueling climb up a fairly steep hill.  But if you take your photographer friend snowshoeing, she rises to the challenge.

Trail for another day?

She might even point out trails for future outings.

A happy snowshoer

If you take a photographer friend snowshoeing on a magical blue-sky winter's day.....you just might have yourself a new adventure buddy!


(A great way to spend the final day of 2018 - thanks Cheri for being my photo buddy!)

Snowmageddon, Day Five

During the rare times when Portland actually receives measurable snowfall, it usually melts away by the following day.  However, during this January's big storm, not only did we see a whopping 9 inches of white stuff on the ground, thanks to below-freezing temps, it stuck around for an entire week.

The park is still snow-covered

As I've mentioned in previous posts, the Portland metro area doesn't have a large fleet of snowplows, nor does it use salt to clear the streets.  So the deep snowpack sat on the roads and was quickly compacted into icy ruts.  After two perilous ski trips to the mountain, I'd had my fill of navigating the slippery freeways through town.  By day five, which coincidentally happened to be MLK day, I was ready for this snowfall to be gone.  Although a holiday off from work, I opted to stay home.

Wintry scene

It didn't take long for cabin fever to set in.  (One can only do so much reading and web-surfing after all!)  Desperate for an outdoor fix, I grabbed microspikes and camera and headed into the neighborhood.

Reflections a tiny patch of open water

Although tracked up by numerous visitors, the local park was still quite lovely wearing it's winter white.  An adjacent water-filled drainage ditch also looked better with a coat of snow on the banks.  I even captured a few reflections in it's ice-rimmed waters.

Mossy fence

I continued down the slippery main road (so glad for my microspikes!) to our local recreation center.  This place not only has dozens of sports fields, it also boasts a lovely little natural area on the outskirts. 

Brown seed pods

I discovered some unusual-shaped circular snow patterns on the surface of this icy pond.

Interesting snow patterns on icy pond

This snow-covered creeklet draining the pond was also especially lovely.

Snow-lined creeklet

I had fun trying to capture some of the natural beauty created by snow and ice.

Snowy circle patterns

Even some of the fence posts were sporting a dollop of snow.

Snow-topped fence

Wandering by the ball fields, I spotted this snowman on home plate!

Snowman on home plate!

And tried to capture the sparkle of snow crystals on this field.

Shadows on the snow

Back at home, I noticed several small birds visiting our feeder for lunch.

Hungry birds

The following morning, a setting moon bathed our backyard in lovely light.  Late for work or not, I couldn't resist capturing a few images of the scene.

Early morning moon

A full week later, warming temps and abundant rainfall finally washed our snowmageddon away.  Although it was fun while it lasted, I'd much rather keep the snow up in the mountains where it belongs.