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!

Sunny Mt. Hood Wonder

It was early January.  Amy had been boycotting snow adventures but it was a bright sunny day and there was no way we weren't going.  After our first snowshoe of the season, the only way to convince Amy to return to the snow was to promise her some sledding.









We headed to White River which has amazing Mt. Hood views on a clear day.  We started at the sledding hill and took turns heading down it.










 We enjoyed the mountain view and just being in the snow. 








Mount Hood was out in all its glory and we convinced Amy to walk toward it.  She wanted nothing to do with skis today.








We just kept wandering toward the mountain and soaking in the sunshine.








Mom was happy.  Preschooler was happy.  Hiking partner was happy, and baby wasn't sure she wanted to be bundled up or in the snow but was only slightly grumpier than usual.








We did a bit more sledding and eventually wandered in to the trees for a short stretch.








I loved how the sun shined through the trees and the sky was amazing.








What a beautiful day at our favorite Mt. Hood snow destination.  It is not the most remote but there is space to spread out and the beauty is unmatched!








This is a spot we will return to again and again.