Maxwelle Butte is one of our very favorite snowshoe destinations along the Santiam Pass. We love the woodsy trails that are mostly groomed and easy to enjoy with a three year old. We made the long drive to Maxwelle Butte on the first sunny day in awhile.
Amy enjoyed doing a little skiing and despite not being able get a glimpse of the mountains here, the woods, snow, and amazing sunshine made for a wonderful adventure.
There were moments to enjoy small meadows covered with snow and logs. We made it to our lunch spot where we all just laid on our backs and soaked up the sun. We had a wonderful meal as usual thanks to the inspiration of Freezer Bag Cooking. We felt a little like spies as we found a lunch spot in a meadow surrounded by trees within earshot of a major trail junction.
Soaking up the sun after so many days of cloudy Oregon winter was incredible.
The green trees and white clean snow filled our senses and overwhelmed us with peace and tranquility. We had a little longer lunch than usual! This was not a destination hike.
It is possible to make it to a shelter where you can spend the night at Maxwell Butte, but we have never quite made it that far. We are content to meander in the woods on these trails..
Back on the trail we had to stop to explore snow covered rocks and logs.
Amy did lots of diving into the snow or finding holes to take breaks in.
Amy finds any reason for a break out on these adventures and helps us all to slow down. This is especially helpful since I am pregnant and need to pace myself! She has learned that we won't take a snack or water break every 10 minutes as she would like but that she can get us to stop to take "deep breath breaks!"
Of course, we had our good friend Sarah, who makes the hike more enjoyable by spending time with Amy playing games, doing nature math, and talking about God. (Her only downfall is the lipstick :-)!
For some of the time Amy wanted to hold hands and ski but often she'll want to be the leader and ski on her own.
I love looking up at the tall trees and thinking about how small I am in relation to God and his creation but how every detail also has value and beauty. It is a great paradox- perspective of the enormity of nature and beauty of the detail.
I am sure there will be many trips back to Maxwell Butte- such a great place for beginning snowshoers and skiers with the right combination of being on an actual trail rather than a road, being in trees, but also being groomed and pretty flat. Maybe next year we will make it to the shelter and spend a night, but until then we will enjoy the journey!
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