Saddle Mountain, Dec 2nd

All things come full circle at some point I guess. Besides being the first hike I ever did here in Oregon, This is a hike that I have done numerous times and still waiting for that perfect weather conditions that will allow me to see the coast. Certainly this winter day was not the day for it. It was actually a last minute decision between Val and me to just grab our gear and go out on a close by hike. At first it looked promising as we were able to see the top from the parking lot illuminated by sun. That, unfortunately didn’t last very long. Soon after we started, we got a bit of rain and very low hanging clouds. As we gained elevation, it almost seemed like we were scratching the underside of the clouds and trying to climb over them. Most of the trail was filled with running water from the top. As soon as we got in the open wind started blowing and conditions turned for the worse. Val was plowing the trail going up but by then I got very cold and we had to turn around defeated by Saddle Mountain



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White River, Nov 22nd

Early in the season, when the snow starts to fall, white river is one of the first places to get fully covered in the white stuff. Late in the fall or very early in the winter, this place is great to break down the snowshoes after a long period of being hanged on the wall (or any other place they might be stored during the summer months). It’s even better if you get lucky enough to get there before everyone else so you get the mountain to yourself and no tracks to follow. Contrary to a lot of other places, White River is a big open area that invites to explore and follow pretty much any route you want as the river serves as a guide of where you are. From the multiple times I’ve snowshoes there, I’ve picked to routes that I like as the cover the easy yet very scenic part but also add some good elevation gain and even better views from high ridges. One of those routes is to the west reaching Boy Scout Ridge from where you can navigate back down or continue towards Timberline. The other option, sometimes a bit more adventurous, is to climb a ridge on the other side of the river. The “more adventurous” part comes from the fact that you have to find a good spot to cross white river which, in many cases, is not that easy. In any case, either way you go, if weather cooperates a bit, you can be sure you’ll get splendid views and a descent start of the snowshoeing season



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McNeil Point, Nov 10th

When you look on almost any guide for a flower hike, you’ll find McNeil Point near the top of the list. Certainly you have to wait a bit to go there as flowers tend to bloom more towards the summer when it gets warm enough. On those days, this hike is simply spectacular. During the colder months though, doing this hike can be a bit of a challenge. Part of it is getting to the trailhead (as we proved this time) and another is being able to hike the trail. I wanted to see this trail with some snow so I decided to go after one of the first snows we got this season. As I mentioned, getting there was a bit of a challenge. The road was already snowed with a thin layer of ice. Everything was cool while we kept moving but at some point I had to stop and that was it. The car started to slide by itself so we had to control as we could until it actually stopped. All that sounds easy until you picture the steep ravine to the side. Once we stopped, it was time for chains. I have to say chains are great despite the pain to put the on. Then, we finally made it to Top Spur, geared up and started hiking. As you’ll see in the map, there are a couple of ways you can do this hike. I opted for doing the trail around Bald Mountain first as the day was clear and we didn’t know how it would be later. After the quick ascend thru the forest we came to the open path overlooking the Muddy Fork. As expected the views were fantastic with Mt hood wearing a white hat. After circling Bald Mountain, we took the shortcut to get back on the McNeil trail and started climbing steadily. This trail passes an open side hill that on clear days also offers splendid views and flowers (in season) but the weather had completely turned on us so when we got there, it was pretty much a white out. It almost seemed like a complete different day than what it looked like when we started. We pushed on and further up we found the direct path that follows the ridge line straight to the shelter. We took this trail and continued on a mantle of grey that enhanced some of the features you find on the trail. Finally we made it to the shelter for a well deserved lunch and possibly the best timing ever. As we got our lunch out of our packs, the clouds parted to give us an incredible sight of Mt Hood and our surroundings. Looking towards the Muddy Fork we could see the cloud being held in place by an up current like a gigantic wave. At that point wind started blowing so we got cold pretty quick indicating it was time to move. We continued our hike on the trail towards Cathedral Ridge and then connected with the McNeil Point trail to hike back down. As we did, the clouds started moving in quite fast menacing with another white out that never came. Certainly this is one of the cool things about hiking in Oregon. You can do a trail many times but if you just wait until the season change, is like getting a brand new route



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