Mirror Lake - Tom Dick Harry - SkiBowl Loop: 12/19

This forum is used to share your experiences out on the trails.
User avatar
awildman
Posts: 918
Joined: June 6th, 2009, 5:20 pm
Location: Portland

Mirror Lake - Tom Dick Harry - SkiBowl Loop: 12/19

Post by awildman » December 23rd, 2013, 8:55 pm

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.

Image
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.

Image
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.

Image
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.

Image
stopping to soak in the view

Image
flock-o-rama!

Image
hiking through the flock

Image
Karl stops to photograph the snow. I stop to photograph Karl.

Image
hiking over a thinly coated sheet of ice - we finally put on the microspikes near here

Image
Tom Dick ridge, heading to Harry and Ski Bowl

Image
Karl minces down the slippery talus

Image
bit of a trudge through breakable crust on the ridge

Image
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.

Image
mutually beneficial warming system

Image
coming down the ridge in the ski area

Image
Karl wanted to take us down Cliffhanger, but we negotiated.

Image
Oscar leads us down the canyon

Image
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).
Rambling on at Allison Outside

User avatar
Sean Thomas
Posts: 1647
Joined: February 25th, 2012, 11:33 pm

Re: Mirror Lake - Tom Dick Harry - SkiBowl Loop: 12/19

Post by Sean Thomas » December 23rd, 2013, 9:05 pm

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!

User avatar
Don Nelsen
Posts: 4377
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: Vancouver, WA

Re: Mirror Lake - Tom Dick Harry - SkiBowl Loop: 12/19

Post by Don Nelsen » December 23rd, 2013, 9:08 pm

Wonderful photos, Allison!!! Thanks for posting this.

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

User avatar
retired jerry
Posts: 14398
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm

Re: Mirror Lake - Tom Dick Harry - SkiBowl Loop: 12/19

Post by retired jerry » December 23rd, 2013, 9:23 pm

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.

User avatar
kepPNW
Posts: 6411
Joined: June 21st, 2012, 9:55 am
Location: Salmon Creek

Re: Mirror Lake - Tom Dick Harry - SkiBowl Loop: 12/19

Post by kepPNW » December 23rd, 2013, 11:44 pm

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.
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. :)

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.

Image
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.


Image
"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.

Image
The boardwalk area on the west side of the lake was especially icy.


Image
Allison wasted no time heading straight out onto the ice. It held up well.


Image
Oscar already showing the first signs of being cold, walking on just his front paws.


Image
A spring feeds Mirror Lake, near the SW edge, which leaves an open spot in the ice. Beware!


Image
The previous night's snow truly left it a winter wonderland!


Image
The picture I was taking while someone else was taking a picture of me taking this picture.


Image
Just about to crest the ridge, and come upon the spot where the tourists all sit in the summer before turning back down.


Image
A shot of that ice, underlying the very shallow snow, along the ridgetop.


Image
Flocked Beargrass!


Image
Even with a thin layer of clouds moving in across the mountain, the views were still lovely.


Image
More flocking. (Couldn't help myself with that one.)


Image
Guys? C'mon, guys...!? It's really not tooooo steep... :)


Image
As the day wore on, the southern horizon took on that orange glow we've seen so much lately.


Image
Oscar eagerly leading the way down the upper bowl.


Image
At 1:30 in the afternoon, the sun barely rises above the mountain on one of the shortest days of the year.


Image
Note to self: microspikes and fiberglass alpine slides do not go well together!


Image
Looked like they were trying to setup some sort of trick area here? No where near enough snow.


Image
As we finished, they kicked on the snowmakers. After barking at us to, "Keep off the snow!" :lol:


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. :D

http://gpsfly.org/gps_map.php?gps_id=2925&w=645&h=440

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.
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. :?

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.
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." 8-)
Karl
Back on the trail, again...

User avatar
Waffle Stomper
Posts: 3707
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm

Re: Mirror Lake - Tom Dick Harry - SkiBowl Loop: 12/19

Post by Waffle Stomper » December 23rd, 2013, 11:48 pm

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

User avatar
awildman
Posts: 918
Joined: June 6th, 2009, 5:20 pm
Location: Portland

Re: Mirror Lake - Tom Dick Harry - SkiBowl Loop: 12/19

Post by awildman » December 24th, 2013, 1:21 pm

retired jerry wrote:I first read that Karl was your husband :)
:D

Guess it should have read: Karl, Bill (my husband), and I...
Rambling on at Allison Outside

User avatar
awildman
Posts: 918
Joined: June 6th, 2009, 5:20 pm
Location: Portland

Re: Mirror Lake - Tom Dick Harry - SkiBowl Loop: 12/19

Post by awildman » December 24th, 2013, 1:37 pm

Sean Thomas wrote:Or maybe more dogs need a nice warm person to cuddle next too? :)
This. :)
Rambling on at Allison Outside

User avatar
Born2BBrad
Posts: 1086
Joined: May 1st, 2011, 7:26 pm
Location: The Dalles

Re: Mirror Lake - Tom Dick Harry - SkiBowl Loop: 12/19

Post by Born2BBrad » December 24th, 2013, 7:10 pm

Wow! Two of the best TR writers and picture takers on one outing.

My mind is exploding :o
Make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again.
- Jean Luc Picard

Link to GPX tracks
Link to Trip Reports

User avatar
romann
Posts: 2417
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: Vancouver, WA

Re: Mirror Lake - Tom Dick Harry - SkiBowl Loop: 12/19

Post by romann » December 24th, 2013, 7:38 pm

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?

Post Reply