Newton Creek – first attempt, Jan 14th

Some time ago I went to Newton Creek on an exploratory Snowshoe that ended up being quite great. On that instance, we hiked all the way to the creek and then followed it upstream, on the west side as high as we could and then circled back on a ridge next to it to come back down. This time my idea was to cross Newton Creek climb towards Gnarl Ridge on the other side and do a bigger loop. Weather was not cooperating a lot but it was dry so the first part of the hike went without any hiccups. Even crossing over Newton Creek went pretty well as we found some logs that were sturdy enough. From there it was a steep climb to the ridge and then some navigation thru the woods. At some point weather turned on us and we got sideways rain/snow which forced us to turn around and go back retracing our steps. Yes, it’s a short story and certainly I could blame someone for not doing the entire loop (those who were there know what I’m talking about) but Weather was a big factor so I’ll leave it at that, besides, if this was a first attempt, you can be sure there’s a second attempt later.

Barlow Butte - Barlow Ridge loop, Jan 8th

If you’ve read my posts, you might remember that I’ve written about Barlow Ridge several times. In most of them, if not all, I’ve mentioned going off trail towards the ridge and finding some splendid views and then coming back down using different ways. All those times, my intent has been to find a way to get to Barlow Butte and then come down on that side of the mountain completing a loop rather than doing an out and back trip. According to the maps, this is entirely possible, tricky but possible. The weird part if that in all those attempts, I was never able to figure out the route. This time, counting on a much lower snow level, I decided to try the route in reverse. Go to Barlow Butte and then find my way down to Barlow Ridge. Part of it was because I knew where the Barlow Butte connects to the Mineral Jane so I knew where I had to start from and also because, with a lot less snow, any existing trail is a lot easier to find. Luckily we had perfect conditions for this as we had a mild day with plenty of sun and light and one of the best groups I’ve had in a long time. The first part was the normal warm up as you go downhill from Barlow Pass to the Mineral Jane trail. After meandering thru the forest for a while, we got to the fork and took the Barlow Butte trail. I originally thought it would be easier but it turned out to be fairly steep. Not surprisingly, Barlow Butte itself is not a desirable destination. The views are quite limited even though it’s a nice place to stop for a while. What comes after is the best part though. Once you come out of the forested top, you find yourself on an open ridge with plenty of snowdrift. The views are short of spectacular with the undulating lines in the snow and views that extend to Jefferson and beyond. The traverse is not difficult but you need to keep in mind the border and stay away from it. A fall from up there would not be fun. After that comes a bit of experimentation as three big rock formations appear on the ridge. None can be traversed over so you have to find a way around them. This, in a couple of places is very tricky. After the third one, we found an open spot with plenty of sun that was perfect for lunch. Right after that, some of us decided to take the snowshoes of and climb the rocks to the top. It was a pleasant surprise to find a big enough area to sit at the top and a magnificent view of the White River basin and Mt Hood. Certainly a view we can’t get tired of. From that point on, it’s a lot of route finding as you steeply descend thru the woods searching for the Barlow Ridge trail. Luckily that is not difficult to find if you keep your bearing correct so after a while, we just bump into it. From this point on and all the way back to the cars, is a route I very well know and still love but now that I completed the loop, I can try it the way I’ve always wanted to.



Interactive map To see the full map, click Menu and select Full Screen. You can also click Terrain to change the map style

Ghost Ridge and Palmateer Point, Dec 17th

I think this is the snowshoe I remember the most from last year but strangely enough, it’s not for the snowshoe itself. I’m not saying it was not an enjoyable outing with fantastic weather and views but for the price I paid for doing it. In the days prior to this hike I had a little cough going on which ended up making it really hard for me to do this loop which, in normal conditions, I can do almost backwards. But even before that, I had a bit of equipment malfunction. One of my snowshoes had a broken link that holds the platform to the pivoting binding. At first I tried a small key ring but that only worked for about 10 minutes. When that happened I opted, since the snow was pretty packed, to go without snowshoes. That’s when the cough got a worse and I even started having problems breathing. After a couple of puffs with Albuterol, I started feeling a bit better but was getting tired really fast. When we finally made it to the top of Ghost Ridge, I decided to take a quick break to fix my snowshoes. After thinking for a bit, I decided to use the lift bar to hold the binding in place (this fix is in the pictures). I think MSR never thought about doing something like this and actually making it work. In any case, that fixed one problem so I was able to continue on the loop towards Palmateer point that we reached without major problems. We made another short stop to enjoy the views and take some pictures before we started bushwhacking down the slope back to the PCT and then to the cars. The pictures will show you the scenery we had. It was fantastic. The price I paid? I ended up getting sick with a cold that I wasn’t able to get rid of for about three weeks!



Interactive map To see the full map, click Menu and select Full Screen. You can also click Terrain to change the map style

King’s Mountain loop, Dec, 4th

This is one of those hikes that can be done almost any time of year. Even though it has considerable elevation, it’s rare that it would be covered in snow. What was a bit unexpected though was to have a nice fall weather day with plenty of sun. We started from the King’s Mountain trailhead and headed straight up on a very easy to follow trail. On the lower sections, we were welcomed with rays of sun filtering thru the forest illuminating details here and there. It made the forest look like very well arranged showpiece in a museum. As we gained elevation, views to the valley of the Wilson River and Lester Creek opened up on both sides of the ridge. Soon we reached the summit and spent some time signing the book and leaving our mark. We got pretty good views from a small open field just below the summit where we stopped for lunch. Unfortunately, the low lying clouds were obscuring a rare occurring view of Mt Hood from this point. On the way down, and to spice the hike a bit, I opted for taking the group back on an alternate route. Instead of following the same trail all the way to the parking lot, we veered off on the Coronary Ridge trail. This is not an official trail and the only sign is at one of the view points. It certainly requires a bit of route finding skills and a lot of bushwhacking, but after some ups and downs and minor scratches, we reached the actual ridge and followed the contouring trail enjoying the vies and keeping away from the steep drop off. Then, it was all downhill on a steep slope back to the Wilson River trail. Once there, it was all an easy walk back to the parking lot meandering thru a fern covered forest. It was kind of a shorter hike, but with all the variety we got out of it, it certainly felt like a much longer adventure.



Interactive map To see the full map, click Menu and select Full Screen. You can also click Terrain to change the map style

Old Man Pass Snowshoe, Dec 3rd

Wow, I’ve been out of the loop for a while. It’s not been because I’ve not been out as much as I’m used to but also because I had to re-do all my maps… technical difficulties I guess. But know those are all fixed and I should be able to get back on track (hopefully). That out of the way, I just wanted to share this little trip I did with Val back in December. I’ve had Old Man Pass in my to-do list for quite a while but never went there because it’s a bit of a longer drive. When I commented that with Val, she told me she had gone several times and that it was a great place to snowshoe. So we woke up a bit earlier than normal and decided to head over to Old Man Pass. The first treat of the day was to get there and find the snow parks deserted. Besides two cars we saw on the road nearby, we did not see anybody else the entire day. Weather played nicely with us so we did a loop that we made up as we went. It ended up being a fantastic day with Val exploring different routes, going off trail in places and enjoying the scenery that was fantastic.



Interactive map To see the full map, click Menu and select Full Screen. You can also click Terrain to change the map style