Hey y'all, Texan transplant Sly here. Have been in Oregon for just about 8 years and loving (most) every minute of it. I was raised by a pair of geologists/birders, so have much experience with long deathmarches in the wilderness (it's still impossible for me to go outside without 100oz of water because it's hot in the desert and water sources are few and far between) but not much experience with snow and endless rain. This forum is a really helpful source of knowledge and the constant updates on weather conditions are really beneficial when planning trips out. I've been lurking the forums for about 6 months now and finally decided to start chiming in with questions and maybe a trip report or two in the future.
I enjoy hikes that challenge me both physically and mentally, perhaps when I grow up I will learn how to properly climb mountains. For now, I am walking and scrambling up things that are within my skill level. The world above 8,000' and filled with snow is something I don't know anything about, so I've been using this mild and dry winter to slowly ease into winter hiking.
Without further ado, here are a few photos from a trek up Mt Defiance this Sunday (1/26)
We skipped up the Starvation Ridge trail until we hit the clouds- this was some way above the powerlines. Once we hit the Land of Freezing Fog, we slowed down for some photos.
Up close and personal, some of these frozen splinters were 5/8" long!
Absolutely gorgeous!
I've never seen a frozen lake before- this was a lifetime first!!
Just past the lake, we scrambled offtrail to soak in this lovely view of Mt St Helens, Mt Rainier, and Adams. Totally took my breath away! Perhaps I'll get to see the view from the tops of those mountains someday.
After our breakfast on the rocks, we continued on- through some wet and crusty(?) snow for a while. Some spots were icy, so my hiking partners explained how to place your feet and center of gravity on the ice. No wipeouts! About 30 minutes below the summit, we ran into another dude on his way down, other than that, we were alone. At the summit, I snapped this photo of Mt Hood
Then it was time to go. After we got out of frozen Narnia, we ran back to the car and located some bacon cheeseburgers. We hiked through temperatures measuring between 26 and 58 degrees- that's similar to desert hiking, except the temps you'll encounter are like 60-100 degrees.
Just because, here are a couple other photos from recent adventures!
An early January trip up Munra after reading some great Portland Hikers trip reports. Conditions were excellent.
What a view!
Other semi-recent highlights were a walk up South Sister and a trip to the Southern California desert.
Summit for sunrise! I believe we followed the advice of a PH post and made it a point to do half our hike in darkness. Left Portland at 8:30, started hiking around 1:30, and hit sunrise on the summit at 5:39. This experience was completely excellent and definitely motivated me to make hiking and climbing a lifestyle.
The views are not so bad, either!!!
Honestly, I feel more comfortable walking on loose rock and dust than mud and snow. What are the best ways to learn the skills necessary to be safe out here?
Okay, one last photo, this one is from Red Rock Canyon in southern California.
That's the sun rising! We do most of our hikes at night and dawn in the desert, otherwise it's just painful!
Thanks for looking at all that, if you made it this far. May I ask some questions?
What are good ways to learn about snow safety?
Should I bother learning how to ski? I think I want to, but everything seems so expensive-- are there frugal options?
What are good ways to learn about general PNW safety?
Are the map and compass classes at REI good? Should I look elsewhere?
As a 20-something, it's tricky finding hiking partners who are safe and don't flake out-- what are some good ways to find people do do activities with?
WHERE IS GOOD TEXMEX AND BBQ IN THIS CITY?
And I think that's it... for now.
See y'all around!
