Maxwell Butte Sun Salutation

 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!

Mirror Lake Snow Adventure

It was a snowy, windy day just after a big storm. The snow level was quite low and we decided it would be fun to make it to Mirror Lake. I dropped off Sarah and Amy at the trail head and drove the .5 mile to park at the Snow bowl ski area.






Unfortunately, there is not a good way to walk between the two. I tried walking on top of the snow for part of the way, but the drift was quite high. Then I walked on the highway for part of the way and got honked at.
Amy was forging ahead on the trail and it took me quite some time to catch up. The trail itself was really nice but a bit of a hike up toward the lake.






The clouds and the wind gave us a feel of wilderness adventure.






The lake itself was amazing and we stopped to take it in before heading back down the trail.






There was a little too much powder to build a snowman but we did enjoy throwing powdery snow at each other!






Despite the clouds, there was a little bit of a view of the valley below.






The trees were all covered and walking through the forest was lovely. We enjoyed the snow covered bridge at the end.






Unfortunately, we still had the .5 mile stretch of Highway to the car. Amy was very tired after the hike and I was newly pregnant and not so eager to carry her. We tried walking on the snow but had to walk on the highway for much of the way. It took us a very long time to get back to the car. We all made it in one piece, a little grouchy and tired but glad to have seen Mirror Lake in the snow.

Muddy Cape Falcon Adventure

It was a cloudy winter Oregon day and we decided it was time to head out for a winter coast hike. We drove to the Cape Falcon trail head and we were not disappointed! I was so proud of Amy who hiked the entire 5 miles. This winter we have retired the backpack because she is getting too heavy for me to carry!

The old growth forest was lush and amazing. Just breathing the sea and forest air but a smile on my face and a spring in my step.

The trees were huge and so green. Of course the trail was covered with mud, much to Amy's delight. Sarah commented, "You are the only mom I know who so enjoys watching their preschooler walk right through ankle deep mud".

We continued through this beautiful forest and started catching glimpses of the ocean.

These wise old trees have withstood quite a few storms. It is a privilege to walk among them.

The glimpses became more and more breathtaking. The fog made it seem so mystical.

We continued enjoying the mud, the views of the ocean and the beautiful forest. Eventually the foliage got quite a bit narrower as we approached the point.

We sat on the cliff above the ocean and watched the waves crash against the rocks, reminded of the power of the ocean.

We let the wind blow through our hair and faces and just took it all in.

We had to laugh at the amount of mud we had accumulated. It was quite thick.

Heading back into the woods, we carried the ocean in our hearts and the trail on our boots. We stopped to enjoy one of the many moss covered trees and continued out to the trail head.

Winter lights, waterfall, and snow fun

Late Christmas night, we welcomed a new friend to our home, Rich Mumo. He is from Nairobi, Kenya, and is here attending George Fox Seminary. To help him get accustomed to the weather and because it is one of our favorite adventures, we headed to Zoolights on a dark and stormy night.






The light show was excellent as usual. We all enjoyed our walk around the zoo checking out the lights.






A bonus was also having our friend and adopted family member Doug with us for the week. Amy was sleeping in a tent on our floor which was great for the first few days but she was also happy to get her bed back at the end of the week.






Amy was so happy to have a new family member to welcome and happy to have her Uncle Doug around as well. The lights were a lot of fun.






After a lot of walking in the rain, we all headed home for hot chocolate and bedtime.






A few days later, Rich agreed to go with a few of us snowshoeing. We headed out toward Mt. Hood's White River. We stopped in Sandy to rent snowshoes and discovered that the ride to the ski area was closed and totally clogged because they were forcing everyone to put on chains. Mt. Hood had been dumped on with new snow!






We went to plan B and headed back to I-84. We decided to stop at Multnohmah Falls to take in the view.






The falls was incredible as always and a nice place to stretch our legs after driving.






We continued around to Hood River and were able to rent snowshoes there, then headed to the Northeast side of the Mountain.






The snow was amazing. We headed up on an unknown route, enjoying the trees covered in snow and the beautiful fresh snow on the ground.






We continued along on our beautiful unknown route, passing some sledders. Amy did try out her skis and did a great job.






Along the way, Amy found some great holes to sit in and get cozy. We found a great lunch spot and enjoyed a bit of a rest.






On the way back down, Amy slid down the big hill with Sarah and I running beside her on snowshoes.






We arrived in Hood River just in time to return the snowshoes. What a great unexpected adventure. Everyone stayed warm enough and a great time was had by all.