Palmer Revisited

Okay, bouncing back to another mid-January trip up the Palmer.  This time, my buddy Young joined me for the journey.

Good morning, Mt. Hood!

Once again, our day dawned clear, sunny and warm.  The entire month of January saw the same above-average temperatures and below-average precipitation that has plagued the West coast. 

Mystery building along the climber's trail

It made for a lovely blue-sky day.  The views along the climber's trail to the top of the Palmer Lift are so nice, I didn't mind today's lack of winter weather.

Heading out of the forest

We started at Timberline Lodge, and followed the climber's trail through a short, forested section. 

Checking out a snowman

And passed by the resident snowman, looking a little disheveled from the relentless bright sun.

Skiing buddy selfie

Then Young and I left the forest for wide open slopes beside the Magic Mile's ski trails.

Looking down on the adjacent hills

The views were grand indeed.  Looking to the west you could see rumpled foothills speckled by Ski Bowl's white trails.

A long ways to go

But my friend and I had 2.5 miles and 2500 feet of climbing ahead of us.  And from our position far below the Magic Mile lift, it looked like a long, long way.

Pretty skis

But we did take time for a few breaks, to have a quick snack, gape at the scenery or admire our pretty skis.

Great views behind

And while toiling up the steepest portions of the trail, I remembered to look behind once and awhile.

Climber heading down

By mid-morning we began to see a few mountain climbers trudging down the trail.  They all looked tired.  In order to summit Mt. Hood, one must start at midnight and climb through the early morning hours.  The cold nighttime temperatures guarantee that the ice will be firm - you don't want ice collapsing and falling.  One climber had a novel way to transport his gear down - he loaded it on a plastic sled.

Hood is getting closer

There were lots of other backcountry skiers gliding uphill.  And we got passed by them all.  Sigh....made me feel like an out-of-shape old woman.

Panorama from Palmer's terminus

But, after a very long climb up the steep upper slopes of the Palmer, the top lift terminal came into view.  It was a sight for sore eyes (and legs!). 

Lunch behind a rock

It was very windy on top, so Young and I found a large rock to duck behind.  We broke out the sandwiches and tea and enjoyed the view we'd worked so hard to attain.

Young naps in the sunshine

Our bellies full, my friend and I laid back and relaxed in the sunshine.

Time to take off the skins

Then it was time for the best part.  Taking off our climbing skins and preparing for the trip back downhill.  Skins off, helmets on, boots locked in "ski" mode, and warm coats and gloves donned.

Enjoying our downhill reward

And.....yahoo!  Reaping those turns we'd earned.

Timberline Lodge

It was a sweet trip down, but way too short.  It didn't take long until Timberline Lodge came into view.

I've included a short video showing a small portion of our ski down.  Enjoy!

As always, it was great to be outside on a sunny winter's day.


Sharing with:  Weekly Top Shot.

Snowlandia

Snowpocalypse 2014 continued through the weekend.  More snow fell on Saturday, adding to Thursday and Friday's accumulations.  The entire Portland metro area was one big blanket of white.  Portlandia became Snowlandia.

Snowy street

Some of you folks who live in northern climates are probably laughing that it only took four inches of snow to shut down the entire town.  And yes, when I moved here from South Dakota 25 years ago, I was also amazed.  But - snowfall of this amount occurs so seldom (our last big storm was back in 2008) that it's not cost effective for local municipalities to keep a large fleet of snow removal equipment.  Main roads are plowed, while minor streets stay buried.

Skiing through the local park

With the snowfall came a slew of cancellations, both workplaces and schools.  Freeways became clogged with abandoned cars.  Lots of folks who live here have no idea how to drive in snow and ice, and their cars are not equipped with the proper tires and/or chains.  People who couldn't make it through the snow left their cars in streets, blocking travel lanes.  Fender benders were a common occurrence.

Reacquainting myself with skinny skis

So when it does snow, it's easier to tell everyone to just stay home.  Although I have a snow-worthy Subaru decked out with snow tires, I usually don't venture out.  Yes, I can drive in the snow and ice, but worry about the people who can't.  And I really don't want to get hit by some clueless, unprepared yahoo.

Snow makes me happy

Friday morning, after I learned work was closed, I became sorely tempted to drive up to Mt. Hood.  Rumor had it the ski areas were buried in a huge dump of powder.

White park scene

But....to reach the mountain, I'd have to drive through town.  Through the snow-packed freeways full of unprepared drivers.  No telling if I'd be delayed by an accident, or be involved in one. 

Rear view skier

And then I realized - why drive up all the way to the mountain when I had this wonderful powder right outside my front door?

Cute snowman

I dug my cross country skis out of the garage (which hadn't seen use since the last snowstorm), and took a trip through my neighborhood.  Silently, I glided down the white, snowy streets.

These cattails wear white hats

I'm lucky to have two parks within a mile of my house.  The first park was deserted - just me and the snow-covered play equipment.  I had a blast making first tracks through the light, fluffy powder.

Lovin' the falling snow

Then I headed to the second, larger park.  On the way, I passed homes with cute fat snowmen sitting by the curb. 

Fluffy white coat on everything

This park was full of people.  Happy kids sledding down the small hills, people walking dogs, snowshoers, and even a few other folks on cross country skis.

No picnics today

Happily, I swooshed through the snowy goodness.  It's so fun to be able to ski through familiar surroundings, totally changed by a coating of white fluff.  To be able to step out your front door and go skiing.  To some folks this sort of thing is commonplace, but here in Portland, it's a wonderful rare opportunity.

Hooray for snow!

Sadly, by Saturday evening, freezing rain descended upon the Willamette Valley, coating our lovely white powder with a hard, icy crust.  And temps rose on Sunday, turning everything into a sloppy, wet mess.

But for a brief two days, I was able to enjoy the wonderful white paradise that became Snowlandia.


Sharing with:  Our World Tuesday.

Snow Day!

After several months of unseasonably dry weather, Portland finally got it's big break.  Snow began to fall midday Thursday, and by evening a couple of inches had accumulated. 

Bear enjoying the powder

Although the nearby Cascade mountains usually get tons of the white stuff, in town measurable snowfall doesn't happen very often.

Tranquil scene at the local park

I awoke Friday morning to nearly four inches of fluffy pow.  AND my workplace was closed.  Woo-hoo!  Snow day!

Snow covered fern

Excited, I grabbed my camera and hustled outside to explore this white world.  You know me - I love snow, and was beyond excited to see it in my own backyard.

I catch Bear in a rare still moment

Later in the morning, I took a walk to the nearby neighborhood park. 

Snow capped cattails

The new fallen snow created many good photo ops.  Such as these snow capped cattails.

My happy doggy

Bear had a blast romping through the powder.  I had fun capturing his joy.  For an old dog, he's still got lots of pep in his step.

Wind blown snow fills in the fence

Even in my yard, photo subjects abounded.  Who would've thought a fence could be so interesting?

Small creek is outlined in white

Or a weedy roadside ditch?

Ears up!

But I'll never tire of photographing my doggy.  He's always doing something cute.

More snowy park scenes

Another snowy scene in the woods.

White-capped bird feeder

Looks like we need to fill the bird feeder.  Gotta help our feathered friends!

Snowy nose

Snow days force us out of our daily routines.  They create a little bit of "bonus time" - perfect opportunities to rekindle our inner 9-year old.   Or to stop and enjoy the wonderful beauty of nature.


Sharing with:  Saturday's Critters and Weekly Top Shot.

Up The Palmer

I'd been itching to get in some backcountry skiing practice.  But January came warm and dry, turning the snow outside the ski areas into a crusty sheet of ice.  Not fun nor safe to navigate on skis!

That left me with only one option.......

Colorful snowcats, all lined up in a row

Skiing up the Palmer Lift at Timberline ski area.

Although not exactly the "backcountry," Timberline provided a semi-groomed climber's trail for snowshoers and uphill skiers to follow.  And the great thing was, once at the top of the Palmer, you could ski the groomed runs back down.

Katie strikes a sexy pose

So on a sunny MLK day, I recruited my friend Katie to join me for a trip up the Palmer.  The temps were already above freezing as we approached the beginning of the climber's trail, just outside of Timberline Lodge.  A colorful line of snowcats greeted us, and Katie couldn't resist striking a couple of poses next to the machines.

Timberline Lodge gets small quickly

Shouldering our backpacks, and strapping on our skis, Katie and I began our slow, uphill climb.  Happily chatting away, it didn't take long until I noticed Timberline Lodge becoming smaller and smaller.

Silcox Hut

We made it to the top of the Magic Mile Lift, a 1000 foot climb, in just under an hour.  An occasion for an extended snack break, we took a breather beside the historic Silcox Hut.  Normally covered in huge drifts of snow, this year most of the building is visible.

Katie sees her shadow!

Continuing from the Magic Mile, we began to follow one of the groomed ski runs from the Palmer.  Abundant sunshine meant not only great views, but also nice shadows.  I tried to capture a shot of both Katie and I's shadow as we skied side by side, but it didn't work out.  The best shadow photograph was this one of Katie by herself (and if she sees her shadow does it mean we'll get six more weeks of winter?  Please?)

Glittering icy slopes

A ski patrol guy came down the groomed run and nicely told us that for our safety we should be following the climber's trail and not the side of a downhill ski run.  So Katie and I struck out cross-country on a patch of crusty snow, to intersect with this trail.

Skirting the groomed ski run

We shuffled by bumpy rutted icy snow, small frozen drifts, and one extremely large rock.

A long uphill trudge

Finally, we reached the climber's trail.  The snowcats using this trail had left it a mess of bumpy, icy snow globs.  Not exactly fun to slide skis across.  But Katie and I made do the best we could, taking advantage of smoother snow on the track's outer edges.

Clear skies mean mountain views

The best part of being up on Mt. Hood this sunny day was the magnificent views.  Clouds and fog clung low in the valleys, while Cascade peaks towered above, contrasting against the blue sky.  In the above photo, from right to left, is Mt. Jefferson, the Three Sisters, Broken Top, and the small peak with a white gleam on top is Black Butte.  It's not often the sky is clear enough to see all these mountains.

Twins!

Here the trail got steep.  Huffing and puffing, I warmed up quickly.  Katie and I stripped down to our base layers, only to discover we had on the exact same top!  (Evidently both of us do our outdoor gear shopping at REI.)

Enjoying some hot tea

The final climb up to the top of the Palmer Lift is always tough.  It's super-steep, by this point the legs are tired, and it feels like you'll never get there.  I concentrated on sliding one foot in front of the other, promising myself a quick break after each ten strides. 

Yahoo!  We made it to the top of Palmer!

But finally....finally.... the upper lift terminus came into view.  Yahoo!  Time for a lunch break!  I broke out my PB & J and washed it down with a thermos of hot tea.  Katie and I perched on a sun-drenched rock and took in the views.

Now for our reward - a lovely ski down

It was a mighty fine day to be on the mountain.  We enjoyed watching the skiers unload from the lift and start down the groomed run below.  The sun's rays warmed our bodies.  Slowly, my belly filled, and energy returned to my tired legs. 

Katie pauses to take in the scenery

Then it was time to reap the reward for our big climb.  To cash in those turns we'd earned!  Katie and I removed climbing skins from ski bottoms and prepared to have some fun.

Watch out for the rocks!

By early afternoon the sun had softened the hard icy groomed run into velvety-smooth snow.  Our ski edges glided effortlessly down the slope.  Ahhh.....this was the moment we'd worked so hard for.

Another great trip up the Palmer

It had taken Katie and I three hours to climb the 2500 vertical feet from Timberline Lodge to Palmer's top terminus.  And it took us less than 30 minutes to ski back down.  But it was a glorious 30 minutes!

Always great to get out and do a little skiing on a wonderful, sunny winter's day.


Sharing with:  Our World Tuesday.