Passed another pair of vehicles that had just gone off the the road near the crest as you reach Hood River -- be careful if you're traveling through the Gorge! Highway 35 and 26 over the mountain were fine - just packed snow and some manageable ice. When I got to the Bennett Pass TH, I was thrilled to discover that it was completely still -- no wind at all, in contrast to the stiff winds in the Gorge (oddly enough, there were strong winds in the Brightwood area, where gusts were coming through Lolo Pass).
I thought about snowshoes for this trip, but with just 12-18 inches of snow, I decided to keep it simple, and hike with boot traction and posthole as necessary. It turned out to be fine, especially after the sun when down and the temperatures dropped fast into the teens (and firmed up the snow).
Some pics from the trip, starting with my new winter day pack -- so far, so good! A place to put my tripod, generous water bottle pockets and lots of small zippered pockets -- that's the first thing I look for in a pack...
New snow on the noble fir - nature's flocking!
Some old fool tromping around in the snow...
Mount Hood from one of the viewpoints:
Close-up of the SE face and White River Glacier:
Lamberson Butte as the sun dropped toward the horizon:
Just before sunset (not too much alpenglow tonight):
Very nice to be out in the snow again! This is a particularly sweet window, as the ski resorts are still closed, so it's MUCH less nuts up there..! Fantastic to drive down the Laurel Hill grade without skiers in a hurry (and dubious driving savvy) riding my rear bumper down the mountain..!
Tom
