I joined my dad on his day off; we took our snowshoes and got to Timberline Lodge without a pre-determined hike plan. We thought to get to Big Zigzag Canyon viewpoint and see if we wanted to continue from there. Located PCT sign quickly but with about 3 feet of snow on the ground we couldn't follow the trail. Instead of going in the vicinity of PCT slightly downhill in the forest (and over tree wells) we hiked slightly uphill and stayed in the open. I only expected Little Zigzag to be a minor obstacle, but what came to a surprise is that we had to cross 2 steep-sided canyons even before we got to Lil Zigzag - I didn't even notice those canyons back in summer! West side of Sand Canyon even had cornices about 1.5 feet thick and several feet wide. We chose not to cross Little Zigzag because of imposing cornices on its west side (between 5-8 feet thick?), also it would be next to impossible to descend and ascend on steep, icy snow without any climbing equipment. We decided to hike above Little Zigzag but when we got to the head of the canyon the wind increased so much we had to turn back.
Despite being windy, it was a nice, sunny, and comparably warm day (it felt 45-50F, much warmer than down below). The snow made familiar terrain quite different and interesting.
Trail sign
Sand canyon (the first of 2 we crossed)
This is visual illusion - the cornice was only about 1.5 feet thick but quite wide so looking from below added to "bulkiness". Still, we were careful near it
We first took Little Zigzag Canyon for Big Zigzag. There's no way one can climb its hardened walls without crampons and ax, much too steep. Also, the cornices on its west side look much bigger than those at Sand Canyon, and no one knows when they might give way
Fog over Portland
Snow drift completely covered a small canyon here
Strong wind gust caused a brief 'blizzard'
Snow patterns
Anyone wants to park in a garage?
Wandering near Timberline Lodge 12/6/11
Re: Wandering near Timberline Lodge 12/6/11
Were snowshoes necessary for your outing or could you have done ok with microspikes / crampons? I'm guessing that the snow was hard-packed and icy and you can pretty much stay on top of it without post-holing? I'm heading up to Timberline Thur and Fri and hoping I don't need to bring snowshoes, but will do so if advised.
Re: Wandering near Timberline Lodge 12/6/11
Beautiful photos, romann! What a different world than just a couple months ago.
Mexico of course is the southern choice on that sign The Lodge is always fun to explore, and appreciate it's beauty, too. I snow-shoed with friends near there last January, but we stayed low, and yes had to share with the skiers and snowboarders, but there were some show-offs that were fun to watch I'm slowly but surely looking forward to snow-shoeing, thanks for the inspiring photos again!
Mexico of course is the southern choice on that sign The Lodge is always fun to explore, and appreciate it's beauty, too. I snow-shoed with friends near there last January, but we stayed low, and yes had to share with the skiers and snowboarders, but there were some show-offs that were fun to watch I'm slowly but surely looking forward to snow-shoeing, thanks for the inspiring photos again!
Re: Wandering near Timberline Lodge 12/6/11
I don't think snowshoes are necessary, but we put them on as soon as we started sinking a few inches (since we brought 'em anyway), and then didn't put them off until the end so I'm not sure how it would work without snowshoes. They were definitely helpful for traction when crossing those small, steep canyons. The snow was hard-packed in the open and softer under the trees (the only icy spots were at the edge of Little Zigzag).Nabor J wrote:Were snowshoes necessary for your outing or could you have done ok with microspikes / crampons? I'm guessing that the snow was hard-packed and icy and you can pretty much stay on top of it without post-holing? I'm heading up to Timberline Thur and Fri and hoping I don't need to bring snowshoes, but will do so if advised.
Thanks Jane! I wanted to write "Mexico is thawing out" here, just to remember next summer how much - or little - snow was there in December. The snow depth varied greatly however, depending on terrain (down to bare ground on some ridges and many feet thick in the canyons).Jane wrote:Beautiful photos, romann! What a different world than just a couple months ago.
Mexico of course is the southern choice on that sign
I never been inside Timberline Lodge, need to visit it someday.
Re: Wandering near Timberline Lodge 12/6/11
We did this route a few weeks ago,more or less. We didn't go as far around the mountain as you did. The cornices weren't that large then. After what you call sand canyon we pretty much hiked up to Silcox Hut for lunch then back down.
Whats awesome about just wandering around on the side of MT. Hood above TimberLine Lodge is the veiws! THe Mtn is above you in a new white dress and when you turn around you see way down south. Sisters were very visable the day we were there. I plan on doing this more this year.
Snowshoes? Probably don't need them as long as you stay above the trees. Traction I would bring though.
Next time I'm heading to Illumination or Crater Rock. I love being High!
Rick
Whats awesome about just wandering around on the side of MT. Hood above TimberLine Lodge is the veiws! THe Mtn is above you in a new white dress and when you turn around you see way down south. Sisters were very visable the day we were there. I plan on doing this more this year.
Snowshoes? Probably don't need them as long as you stay above the trees. Traction I would bring though.
Next time I'm heading to Illumination or Crater Rock. I love being High!
Rick