My March Madness - Solitude 'n Snow

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TwoPaw
Posts: 113
Joined: July 28th, 2013, 10:30 am
Location: Portland

My March Madness - Solitude 'n Snow

Post by TwoPaw » March 30th, 2019, 7:27 am

My March Madness - Solutide n’ Snow
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The bounty of recent low elevation snow created transformative opportunities. I typically start out with my little MSR snowshoes bound to my pack and then put them once I’m sure I won’t have to take them off right away

Mar 3 & 10 - Beacon Rock State Park is a pleasant enough place. The snow turned the wide horse paths into winter wonderlands.

Both weekends I parked at the main lot since access to the equestrian lot was closed off.

The first weekend (3/3) with howling winds I stayed more in the trees going well up the east side of Hardy Creek and descending down the west. The area around the upper bridge over the creek was stunning.
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I circled back through the equestrian lot and cut across with the power lines to the campground and back to the main lot. Only saw a couple of folks near Hardy falls - and besides some prints from the day before, saw no one otherwise.

The second weekend (3/10) was calm and I reversed my starting path - cutting over to the equestrian lot and then headed up to the Hardy Ridge Loop. Only faint remnants of week old snowshoe prints remained. I’d estimate there was a good three feet of snow at 2500’ - much more in drifts.
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Descending from the ridge I encountered a huge group of Mazamas,likely, without snowshoes but using their multitude of boots to pack down a path.

Mar. 24 - I ventured over to the Buck Creek TH #1 for a climb up to Nester Peak. Due to snow on the access road I parked in a pullout about five minutes walk below the trailhead.

Normally the Buck Creek complex might not appeal to me, chalked full of roads and open to bikes. On that Sunday it was serene in its whiteness and it was a now rare Oregon weekend hike where I didn’t see anyone all day. The view from Nester Peak was pleasant, though clouds obscured many peaks.

I look forward to dry/snow spring hikes and enjoying solitude in the snow.

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discodan7700
Posts: 114
Joined: January 17th, 2013, 2:30 pm

Re: My March Madness - Solitude 'n Snow

Post by discodan7700 » March 31st, 2019, 9:40 pm

Thanks for the update.

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