Frog Lake and Timberline

 It was our last snowshoe trip of the season in March.  We headed to Frog Lake on the SE side of Mt. Hood.  We stopped in Sandy to rent snowshoes for our housemate, Rich, who joined us on this adventure.









At the store in Sandy, I was asking about the probability of a lot of snowmobiles close to the lake.  The store clerk said a lot of snowmobiles start out from the sno park, but that we should not encounter too many on the smaller trail to the lake.  You can see from the tracks that this was quite the snowmobile destination.









Amy made a bench turned snow angel in the snow and Rich joined her for a needed break to take in the trees and the snow!









We had a leisurely stroll to the lake avoiding a few snowmobiles.  The lake was track free and we enjoyed a quiet lunch.









It was a good thing we got there when we did though, because shortly after our quiet lunch at the lake, the snowmobiles started driving across every inch of it!








The lunch was delicious and I took a moment to show off my just starting to show pregnant belly.









We took some time to build a giant snow woman.  She was pregnant also and Amy decided she needed three breasts.









We headed back to the trail through the deep snow, happy to have enjoyed the sun and the lake and shaking our heads at the snowmobiles who were out in the middle of the lake.  It was so warm and this is not Canada, people :-).  Fortunately we did not witness any ice cracking.









Amy did some diving on the way back.









Because it was a pretty short hike, we decided to stop at Timberline lodge.  I was the only one who had seen it in the winter.









It was great to see Mt. Hood in all it's glory and we poked around the lodge some.









They have a snow tunnel to enter and I was amazed how much of it get covered.









The snowdrifts were also quite impressive.  It was a fun end to the day.










Now on to spring wildflowers, waterfalls, and less snowy mountain views.  It was a great season of snowshoeing and we are looking forward to many more hikes between now and September when my baby girl arrives.  Amy's first hike was at five weeks old, so I am sure baby sister will not be far behind as September and October are often the prettiest times to get out!