First snowshoe of the year December 2015- kid free adventure

 We headed to Maxwell Butte last December 2015 with NO KIDS!

Gil had always hated snow adventures, particularly heading uphill but was in much better shape for this endeavor. We were with our friends, Monica and Sarah, and Monica and I are bent toward snowy challenges.

Maxwell Butte is one of my favorite places to snowshoe. It is somewhat close to Salem, somewhat groomed, but still feels natural in the trees and not a snowmobile destination.

I always try to remember to look up! So much of life is spent not remembering what might be above the trees!

The snow was lovely, fluffy, and good for walking in.

It was partly sunny and we got warm quickly climbing up the hill.

Since we did not have kids we were able to go up further than we have before, some to my husbands chagrin but he endured it without cursing so that is an improvement at least!

Monica was in her element and leading the way.

Sarah and Monica taking a break.

Gil held up the rear but mostly stayed with us. This was not a destination trip and we just enjoyed the trail.

We saw some folks with large backpacks heading up to the shelter for the night. I am not a fan of carrying weight on my back while snowshoeing, particularly uphill.

We were surrounded by snow covered trees and greatly enjoyed this rare day together without kids.

Clear Lake Cabin with a loft and epic sledding!

 After A LOT of snow in Portland with many missed school days, we headed to Clear Lake between Santiam and McKenzie Pass. Saturday we stopped at the Santiam sledding hill to enjoy some fun sledding.

 I went down a fast hill.

 We arrived at Clear Lake Resort in the afternoon and were SO EXCITED to see our rustic cabin had a loft big enough for two girls to sleep in! It also had generator hours so when the power went out at 10pm you should be asleep and you should not leave the loft sleeping area until the power came on at 7am. We left a light on so that we would know when it was time to get up and going.

 Mom brought us all to a trail at Tombstone Pass on Sunday morning.

 Analise was sledding,mom and I were snowshoeing and dad with just boots.[not oppressive boots]   

 It was beautiful. 

 A nice snowy mountain.

 Analise walked some to.

 Mom went on her own adventure around the lake on Sunday afternoon and I kept right on sledding!

 The sledding hill was very epic!

 Dad got a turn.

 

Dad is sledding.

 Some of the snow had melted on Monday morning when we headed back to the snow and ice in Portland. Analise's snowman was still standing when we got home!

The beautiful lake.

Suttle Lake Spring Dreaming

It was late January 2015. I had a 2 year old and a six year old and a regular hiking friend, Sarah with me. We headed to Suttle Lake and decided to hike around. There had not been much snow and it was unseasonably warm, feeling like a spring day.

We started around the lake with lots of breaks to throw rocks in the water. There was a large gathering, maybe a wedding, in the lodge, so we tried to keep our rather scruffy looking family separate from the crowd.

The first pink monkey came along before he went picnicking at Fish Lake and deserted us for a life of adventure.

Trying to keep children out of the rather cold lake was a challenge but the rock throwing helped.

I love the long needles of Ponderosa Pine in this part of Oregon. There are many of these around Suttle Lake.

Analise switched between riding in the backpack and walking.

The trip around Suttle Lake is 3.5 miles. Analise found a picnic table to break on with her monkey.

We enjoyed the woods and the lake.

On the far side we took some time to enjoy a full, open view of the lake.

Amy was (and still is) a fantastic hiker!

Sarah helped us so that we didn't have to take a selfie.

We crossed a bridge that looked like an excellent fisherman's campground.

In the distance, we could see Black Butte.

We also got to see a rare and special sight for us- snow covered Mt. Washington.

As we continued along, we enjoyed this open section and gazing at the mountains and hills.

Forest fires are pretty common here and there have been some pretty serious ones- enhancing the view but burning down a lot of trees.

Backward tree hugger!

Reflection of Black Butte on the lake.

Reflection of Mt. Washington and foothills. We made it back and were proud to have made it around. It was a nice taste of spring to come for us.

Santiam sledding amd off the beaten path snowshoeing

It was a perfect day for a spring snow adventure- early March with plenty of powder and sunshine.

We headed up Santiam Pass to the Santiam Sno Park.  We first went down the very steep sledding hill.









Baby Analise cheered us on from the bottom of the hill!









When we had our turns on the sledding hill we headed up toward the Pacific Crest trail. 









We had an incredible view of Mt. Jefferson.









This was the first time this season that Amy did not have a groomed trail.  She skied pretty far through our snowshoe prints and then started hiking.









We followed some tracks and headed up to a clearing.








 Baby Analise stayed warm and cozy on mama.










We could see Three Fingered Jack in the distance.











We enjoyed being up on the butte for a little while and took in the view then headed back down to easier showshoeing.









Baby Analise got a little bit of a wiggle break but was not sure she liked the snow too much.









We enjoyed our trek out and had a wonderful day together.

 

This is snowshoeing at its finest- sun, powdery snow, a sledding hill, and happy children!