Since we still had some fresh snow on the ground we decided not to miss the opportunity for another good snowshoe, and what best route than my classic Barlow Butte to Barlow Ridge loop. Ever since I mapped this loop and was able to connect the back country portion, it became my favorite snowshoe route. It does combine a bit of everything, some good isolated trails, views, back country, decent downhill on soft powder… you name it, this loop has it. And this was no exception even on a cloudy day. The first part of the loop as we climbed towards Barlow Butte was accompanied by grey skies and almost the threat of rain. With the white snow, it made the forest look a bit eerie but different than the eerie look you get in the fall. After chugging for a while, we finally came to the open area just behind Barlow Butte to an incredible no-view of the valley. I say incredible because it was totally different and still amazing as the clouds wouldn’t let you see far hiding what lay beyond. It felt like those fantasy movies where a small boat disappears into the fog. We visited the top of Barlow Butte that was submerged in clouds and then continued south on the ridge line. Clouds were moving fast in front of us giving us magical views. Then we started descending into the valley and due to time and a very short day, I decided to cut off a mile or so from the route and approach the Barlow Ridge trail quicker. That ended up being a lot of fun as we flew down on steep slopes of puffy snow. Once back on the road, we followed it down towards Mineral Jane where we got another amazing view of Mt Hood. The sky was covered I clouds with some small patches of blue that let some sunlight go thru and illuminate the mountain. It almost changed the surface giving it a complete new look. And I still can get tired of this loop of the views.
Interactive map (previously posted)
To see the full map, click
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