Nice and quiet, snowshoes not required.

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codym
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Joined: December 23rd, 2017, 6:49 pm

Nice and quiet, snowshoes not required.

Post by codym » December 23rd, 2017, 7:10 pm

A friend and I went on this hike today, hoping to at least get to the old lookout site (5.6 miles). We strapped on our snowshoes and broke trail, which was straight up for the first mile at least. It was a good workout, and the skies were starting to clear by 1130 (we started at 11 a.m.). We enjoyed the solitude of being the only people in the area, and the only sound was the Zigzag River below us. We took off our snowshoes shortly after starting as they were not needed. I feel that a lot of my hikes in this area would be better suited with crampons and hiking poles. I came from North Idaho a year ago, and there was a lot of snowshoeing to be had!
Like I said, we were breaking the trail, and that included a lot of low hanging, snow laden branches. It didn't take much to get them free and continue on the path, until about 2.5 miles up...then it just got dense with brush. We didn't feel like getting soaked, especially not knowing the path and views that might lay ahead. We turned around, feeling like we had a good enough time and accomplished the goal of getting outside and enjoying some fresh air and camaraderie.

I would recommend this hike to anyone that wants to get away from the crowds, and get a little bit of a workout. The directions on the webpage got us there just fine...just don't follow the google map pin. There is a forest service "crossing guard" arm that we parked in front of, and then followed the main road straight (there's a brown forest service sign), until we came to the zigzag trail sign. Then we ascended! Get outside!

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adamschneider
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Re: Nice and quiet, snowshoes not required.

Post by adamschneider » December 23rd, 2017, 7:13 pm

Umm, you might want to post the name of the hike in the title of your thread. :)

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retired jerry
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Re: Nice and quiet, snowshoes not required.

Post by retired jerry » December 23rd, 2017, 8:40 pm

I'd guess it's the South Zigzag trail :)

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adamschneider
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Re: Nice and quiet, snowshoes not required.

Post by adamschneider » December 23rd, 2017, 11:21 pm

retired jerry wrote:I'd guess it's the South Zigzag trail :)
This one, you mean? http://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide ... igzag_Hike

I wonder if maybe the "Select a hike" menu makes people think their post will somehow get tagged with the name of the hike. (The reality is that it's only used to automatically create links within the Field Guide.)

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retired jerry
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Re: Nice and quiet, snowshoes not required.

Post by retired jerry » December 24th, 2017, 6:19 am

I was thinking http://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide ... _Trailhead

But now that you mention it, West Zigzag is more likely

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