(Return to) Snowy Tamanawas Falls (Dec 26)

[Splintercat]

Met up with an old friend from college yesterday for a hike on the mountain. We packed snowshoes, but when the clouds appeared earlier than expected, we opted for a forest hike -- for me a repeat of my hike to Tamanawas Falls two weeks ago. But the conditions were much different, with 2-3 feet of snow on the ground, and much more "wintry" with icicles everywhere. Snowshoers have beat a beautiful track into the snow, so we were fine with boots and traction (there were still several snowshoers along the way). By the time we got back to the car at around 3 PM, there were at least 30 cars strung along the highway... the word is out! Five years ago, there might have been three or four cars there on a winter Saturday..!

Some pics from the trip, starting with the East Fork from the footbridge:



With my friend David, somewhere along the trail (photo by a friendly hiker who passed by):



Pretty snow scene on Cold Spring Creek:



iPhone pano from the top of the big rockslide... my phone froze in "cold weather mode" at this point... second time this year - need to start carrying in a warm pocket!



Some photos of the falls:







Always a fun trip, and even the crowds aren't a big deal -- snow and the winter scenery always seem to put people in a friendly mood! Took photos for a pair of young men from somewhere in the Mideast who had not seen snow before, provided trail info to an elderly German visitor in snowshoes and saw 3 infants in baby packs... good to see 'em out on the trail from the start!

Tom

Technical note for photographers: I left my ND filter behind, so improvised with a second polarizer that I carry for "how to" hikes -- held it in front of my lens for most of the set shots to be able to manage long exposures. It had to be held in just the right position to avoid creating weird color shifts -- interesting! Lots of light bending going on there, and some cleanup afterward on some of the photos.

[greglief]

Beautiful! I particularly like the creek snow scene, and the second photo of the waterfall. Thank you very much for sharing!

[Splintercat]

Thanks, Greg!

[scole]

Dumb question- in this report as well as the one from a few days ago, this is the "closest" photo of the falls. The summer trail continues just a little further for an unobscured view of the falls. Any reason why you didn't go to the end of the summer trail? Avy danger? I know the cross slopes are a bit steep during that last stretch.

Thanks-
Steve

[Splintercat]

Not a dumb question, Steve! You can safely go further (through a short thicket of trees) and a lot of people were doing that, but for me it just means a lens full of spray and not my favorite angle on the falls. It does get quite icy beyond that point (because of the spray), but I don't think you'd have a debris hazard unless you somehow got behind the falls.

Tom

[scole]

Hah, thanks Tom. I've visited the falls a number of times in the spring so I know all too well about the spray.

I'm definitely getting the itch to visit the falls during the winter.

[Sean Thomas]

Looks like an awesome day at a splintercat favorite Glad you got to spend some time hiking with your friend.

[Splintercat]

Thanks, Sean!

So... I noticed when we got back to the TH at Tamanawas on Saturday that several (5-6) cars had parked dangerously close to (or actually over) the white line at the north end of the pullout. ODOT has subsequently posted a "no parking" sign, understandably. Sheesh... what is it with rogue parking?

Tom

[Waffle Stomper]

A wonderful winter wonderland.