A snowy day in the Gorge

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Don Nelsen
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Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: Vancouver, WA

A snowy day in the Gorge

Post by Don Nelsen » February 14th, 2019, 5:37 pm

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As much as I dislike admitting defeat, Dog Mt. was too much for me today. I initially headed out for either Angel's Rest or something a little to the east but the weather was a mix of drizzle and light freezing rain. I'd rather it was a few degrees below freezing so I continued to the east. At Herman Creek it was 30 degrees but the road wasn't plowed wide enough to park on the frontage road and the berm was way too big to shovel out a spot - so I continued. At Defiance, there was just enough room plowed out for one car but I didn't want to do first tracks in a foot and a half of snow. I'm such a wuss!

Anyway, I decided for Dog Mt., headed that way and was pleased to find the road was plowed wide enough for a few cars parallel to the highway I could see that at least a few folks had made first tracks up the trail.

Crossing the Hood River bridge:
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Dog Mt. TH:
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Conditions at the start of the trail:


A few views along the way:
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Above about 1,000' it looked like all the other previous hikers had turned back and only a lone snowshoer went farther.
This was fine for as long at it lasted but even he/she turned around at 1,375':
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I went a very short distance farther but the snow was now about two feet deep and I was postholing all the way down.


Only about five minutes after I admitted defeat and started back down, I met three young men coming up the trail! They asked me how it was further on and I gave them the bad news. I suggested they take turns taking point and maybe they could make the top. I hope they made it.

Another view of Dog Mt. parking today:
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By the time I got back down it was snowing hard and the road was now well covered and a bit slippery.

A few views on the drive home:
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dn
Last edited by Don Nelsen on February 18th, 2019, 4:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Everything works in the planning stage" - Kelly

"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller

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Bosterson
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Re: A snowy day in the Gorge

Post by Bosterson » February 14th, 2019, 8:39 pm

Jeez DN, I would've never thought you'd be defeated by some measly postholing! Where were your snowshoes? ;)

Looks like a fair bit of stuff blown down onto the snow - seems like it was pretty windy out there? I'm hoping the roads will dry out a little by the weekend so I can go wallow in some of that powder! :)
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Don Nelsen
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Location: Vancouver, WA

Re: A snowy day in the Gorge

Post by Don Nelsen » February 15th, 2019, 7:13 am

Bosterson wrote:
February 14th, 2019, 8:39 pm
Jeez DN, I would've never thought you'd be defeated by some measly postholing! Where were your snowshoes? ;)

Looks like a fair bit of stuff blown down onto the snow - seems like it was pretty windy out there? I'm hoping the roads will dry out a little by the weekend so I can go wallow in some of that powder! :)
Forgetting my snowshoes yesterday was a real bummer. When I started out, seeing about a half dozen tracks ahead of me I thought I could get the job done though. I'll head out Sunday, in hopefully better weather.

Thanks for the comment!

dn
"Everything works in the planning stage" - Kelly

"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller

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BigBear
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Re: A snowy day in the Gorge

Post by BigBear » February 19th, 2019, 3:08 pm

Spending Valentines Day with the one you love...Dog Mtn. in the snow.

It's good to see you're starting to transition away from "throwing caution tot he wind" and balancing a trek through cold, windy elements on Dog for a couch in front of a fireplace with a cup of hot mocha. Or is that me? I'm opting to be more of a fair weather hiker in my later years and seeking the creature comforts when the mercury dips.

It's sad to think that even in those conditions you were finding multiple sets of human tracks. The days of solitude in the Gorge went out with the music cassette and VHS.

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