This trip report is a bit long in the tooth by now, but kepNW, my husband, and I headed up to Mt. Hood last Thursday to do the TDH loop.
the little cloud band obscured what would be a perfect view of Mirror Lake and Mt. Hood
Said husband (a lifelong Oregonian) had never been to Mirror Lake; nor had I. We've always skipped it in favor of longer, less crowded trails. But a random sunny Thursday in that season between hiking season and skiing season seemed like a good time to visit. As luck would have it, we wouldn't encounter anyone until Ski Bowl and had the distinct pleasure of making first tracks on a snowy frozen lake.
Mt. Hood from Mirror Lake
We started from the west end of the Ski Bowl parking lot and strolled uncomfortably along the shoulder (behind the guardrail) to the summer trailhead. There was a whisper of new snow on the ground, enough to cover the sheet of ice that was masquerading as the trail.
morning light on the trail to Mirror Lake
We spent a few minutes at the lake taking photos on the lake, giving new perspective to the mountain. We circled around the lake just fer scuz and then climbed up to Tom Dick ridge through increasingly beautiful flocking.
stopping to soak in the view
flock-o-rama!
hiking through the flock
Karl stops to photograph the snow. I stop to photograph Karl.
hiking over a thinly coated sheet of ice - we finally put on the microspikes near here
Tom Dick ridge, heading to Harry and Ski Bowl
Karl minces down the slippery talus
bit of a trudge through breakable crust on the ridge
nice views though
We stopped briefly for a snack at the ski area boundary and then hustled back to the car to keep the dog from freezing. The sun had disappeared behind a band of high clouds and didn't reappear until we were nearly back to the parking area.
mutually beneficial warming system
coming down the ridge in the ski area
Karl wanted to take us down Cliffhanger, but we negotiated.
Oscar leads us down the canyon
not much snow yet...
KepNW (Karl) said that Mirror Lake is an afternoon hike and, sure enough, as we drove back down the hill, there were no fewer than 10 cars parked in the pullout just east of the trailhead. I'm glad to have hiked it once, with some semblance of solitude, and enjoyed the views and good company of six men (Tom, Dick, Harry, Bill, Karl, and Oscar).
Mirror Lake - Tom Dick Harry - SkiBowl Loop: 12/19
- Sean Thomas
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Re: Mirror Lake - Tom Dick Harry - SkiBowl Loop: 12/19
More jackets need a built in doggie heater like that one! Or maybe more dogs need a nice warm person to cuddle next too?
Those flocked trees are amazing!
Those flocked trees are amazing!
- Don Nelsen
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Re: Mirror Lake - Tom Dick Harry - SkiBowl Loop: 12/19
Wonderful photos, Allison!!! Thanks for posting this.
dn
dn
"Everything works in the planning stage" - Kelly
"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller
"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller
- retired jerry
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Re: Mirror Lake - Tom Dick Harry - SkiBowl Loop: 12/19
I first read that Karl was your husband
No snow shoes? I heard Ski Bowl was low on snow. This may turn out to be a good winter hiking year, except one good weather system could ruin that. Nice for winter sports people though.
No snow shoes? I heard Ski Bowl was low on snow. This may turn out to be a good winter hiking year, except one good weather system could ruin that. Nice for winter sports people though.
Re: Mirror Lake - Tom Dick Harry - SkiBowl Loop: 12/19
Great TR! Even better photos! Thanks for posting that, and for having me along. Hard to beat a random sunny Thursday and a random email invite coinciding like that! I've been enjoying that loop since (at least) 1984, and it's always a pleasure to be there with someone who's having their first taste of it. And this was my first time doing it in the snow -- and, in solitude! Wow... What a difference it is to not be fending off the crowds up there.awildman wrote:Said husband (a lifelong Oregonian) had never been to Mirror Lake; nor had I. We've always skipped it in favor of longer, less crowded trails. But a random sunny Thursday in that season between hiking season and skiing season seemed like a good time to visit. As luck would have it, we wouldn't encounter anyone until Ski Bowl and had the distinct pleasure of making first tracks on a snowy frozen lake.
Allison's done a great job capturing the beauty of the day. No way to augment that. I might be able to add a couple thoughts or observations, and my relatively crummy P&S captures, for anyone else heading up there.
About half the nearly one mile along US26 has a guardrail, though even that didn't offer much in the way of peace of mind.
"The Very Angry Stump."
An inch-thick sheet of ice was below an inch of snow from just below the lake to, and along much of, the ridgetop. The first person down the trail wasn't too bad off, but walking in those compressed footsteps was a tad treacherous. The ground on the trail up was frozen extremely hard.
The boardwalk area on the west side of the lake was especially icy.
Allison wasted no time heading straight out onto the ice. It held up well.
Oscar already showing the first signs of being cold, walking on just his front paws.
A spring feeds Mirror Lake, near the SW edge, which leaves an open spot in the ice. Beware!
The previous night's snow truly left it a winter wonderland!
The picture I was taking while someone else was taking a picture of me taking this picture.
Just about to crest the ridge, and come upon the spot where the tourists all sit in the summer before turning back down.
A shot of that ice, underlying the very shallow snow, along the ridgetop.
Flocked Beargrass!
Even with a thin layer of clouds moving in across the mountain, the views were still lovely.
More flocking. (Couldn't help myself with that one.)
Guys? C'mon, guys...!? It's really not tooooo steep...
As the day wore on, the southern horizon took on that orange glow we've seen so much lately.
Oscar eagerly leading the way down the upper bowl.
At 1:30 in the afternoon, the sun barely rises above the mountain on one of the shortest days of the year.
Note to self: microspikes and fiberglass alpine slides do not go well together!
Looked like they were trying to setup some sort of trick area here? No where near enough snow.
As we finished, they kicked on the snowmakers. After barking at us to, "Keep off the snow!"
Did I already say, Wonderful Day!? It was. I was ready to do a second loop, and surely would've had there been more than a couple hours to go before sunset. Ah well.
http://gpsfly.org/gps_map.php?gps_id=2925&w=645&h=440
This blew me away! The main parking area is all sign-posted to stay the hell away. The secondary parking, 100 yards to the east wasn't. And it was nearly full-up as we drove down the hill at the end of the day. Sure glad we got there first! We had absolutely no idea all these people were there. And really surprising they're allowed to park there, actually. No snow-park permits signs, no nothing.awildman wrote:KepNW (Karl) said that Mirror Lake is an afternoon hike and, sure enough, as we drove back down the hill, there were no fewer than 10 cars parked in the pullout just east of the trailhead.
Ridiculously little snow. I bet it'll be all gone after Christmas? There was 2-4" at Government Camp, and maybe 8-16" at 5100' atop the ridge, with the deeper amounts only in the well-sheltered areas. They actually got mad at us for walking across what little there was. I was like, "Dude, put up a sign."retired jerry wrote:No snow shoes? I heard Ski Bowl was low on snow. This may turn out to be a good winter hiking year, except one good weather system could ruin that. Nice for winter sports people though.
Karl
Back on the trail, again...
Back on the trail, again...
- Waffle Stomper
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Re: Mirror Lake - Tom Dick Harry - SkiBowl Loop: 12/19
What a great time to visit Mirror Lake and TD&H. Beautiful photos.
"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." - John Muir
Re: Mirror Lake - Tom Dick Harry - SkiBowl Loop: 12/19
retired jerry wrote:I first read that Karl was your husband
Guess it should have read: Karl, Bill (my husband), and I...
Rambling on at Allison Outside
Re: Mirror Lake - Tom Dick Harry - SkiBowl Loop: 12/19
This.Sean Thomas wrote:Or maybe more dogs need a nice warm person to cuddle next too?
Rambling on at Allison Outside
- Born2BBrad
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Re: Mirror Lake - Tom Dick Harry - SkiBowl Loop: 12/19
Wow! Two of the best TR writers and picture takers on one outing.
My mind is exploding
My mind is exploding
Make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again.
- Jean Luc Picard
Link to GPX tracks
Link to Trip Reports
- Jean Luc Picard
Link to GPX tracks
Link to Trip Reports
Re: Mirror Lake - Tom Dick Harry - SkiBowl Loop: 12/19
Great TR and pictures - snow hiking doesn't get much better than that. I like Mt. Jefferson picture with yellow glow. That "angry stump" is probably a remnant of *very* old logging operation, when loggers stood on springboards to cut a tree a few yards above the ground. So, was snow pass required to park at Skibowl, with ski area still closed?