A snow shoe up Clark Creek Ridge - 2014/01/19

[Guy]

Opening pic

So this is another case of us following Allison around but you can do a lot worse than following Allison when it comes to great places to hike & snowshoe! Last Thursday Allison posted a great photo on her Facebook page from up on the ridge between Clark & Newton Creeks. We figured we would give it a go today!

We set off from the Hood River Meadows Parking lot & took the ski road over to Clark Creek. The first bit of fun was finding a place to cross!



We soon found a snow bridge & being the heaviest I bravely went first

From this point on this is a cross country trip, no trail blazes or blue diamonds. We headed into the trees on the other side of the creek & made our way over to the slope of the ridge the headed mostly North East up the ridge diagonally to gain the top. There is about half a mile of pretty steep stuff but once on the ridge things are easier.


Making our way up to the ridge line.

Once on top the hike continues through the trees for about another mile & a half to the tree line.


A typical ridge walk through the trees...


A slow but steady climb

At about mile 2.25 the trees thinned & we got our first full views of the mountain in front of us.



We ran into 2 back country skiers here who had bushwhacked up from Heather Canyon below to ski the slope down to Newton Creek.


Two Skiers behind Chiyoko & Chizuru getting ready to ski down to Newton Creek.

We continued on up the ridge, but by now the wind was blowing pretty hard & clouds were moving over from Meadows dropping the temperature. We set a goal of the 3 mile mark in a slight saddle along the ridge & then asses the weather.







We had only come 3 miles but it was a good workout climbing more than 2000' from Hood River Meadows.


Turn Around Point!

At the three mile mark it was still Sunny ahead but the wind was pretty cold so we decided to make it our turn around point for the day. As we came back down the ridge we saw 2 folks heading up the ridge towards us. It turned out to be Portland Hiker "Thunder Thigh 3" & her Mom! (Great to meet you guys!) they we leading a group of others up the ridge.

Once down the ridge there just remained one final hop across Clark Creek & we were home!



6 miles, 2450' of EG & countless great views!

A few more pics of the day here.

[Splintercat]

Great pick, Guy -- and beautiful photos! I've heard of backcountry skiers doing that trip, but it looks like an excellent snowshoe -- in fact, better than slogging through loose moraine debris in summer! That's such a cool view of the mountain -- so massive and bulky compared to the refined pyramid from the northwest side.

Thanks for posting!

Tom

[Thunder Thigh 3]

Hey it was fun to run into you guys! I always like meeting fellow PHers on the trail. We couldn't help ourselves and had to go beyond your tracks. We made it up almost to the end of the ridge before a knife edge turned us around. It got warmer and the wind died down, too, which made it worth staying out a bit later. Yet another fantastic day on Wy'East!

[kepPNW]

Thanks again, Guy, for the track and tips on that trek! (And to Allison for the inspiration!) We had a great time up there, today, taking a slightly different route. Went up the Newton Creek "trail," rather than straight up the ridge, then traversed over along the Timberline before following your footsteps up (and back down) the ridge. Sketchy crossings eliminated by using the bridge(s) on the Elk Meadows trail.

http://gpsfly.org/gps_map.php?gps_id=2990&w=645&h=440

In case anyone else is wondering, YES, snowshoes are absolutely required!

Really nice destination, and a fantastic journey.

[Guy]

Glad you guys made it up there today Karl!

You gotta high for a snow shoe fix this year ..

Yes, very doable snow shoe Tom with a high view reward ratio

[jdwong83]

Beautiful pictures. Looks like you had a great time on the snowshoes.

How was the drive up to Hood River Meadows Parking lot? My fiance and I are looking to give snowshoeing a try this weekend.

Jeff

[kepPNW]

How was the drive up to Hood River Meadows Parking lot?

Totally bare pavement all the way, yesterday. Pre-dawn, it was down near 20° around Barlow Rd & US35, so we were watching for freezing fog, but I don't think it stuck to more than the trees.

[Guy]

Jeff,

Please don't take this the wrong way but if you haven't been on snow shoes before (or done other snow sports like cross country skiing) then this might not be the best route for a first time snow shoe. It involves some off trail travel & a steep climb.

If it's your first time snow shoeing white river is very good or a Timberline snow shoe up to the Silcox Hut is a good beginner option. If you like it after the first time then make this trip your second destination!

Roads a clear & will be until it snows again - who knows when that will be!!

Cheers.