Snow!

Just a day after we went to the Salmon River Trail to see some snow we got... SNOW! Totally unexpected. I let Pepper out at 5 am  to do his business and everything was green. I look again at 6:30 and BAM! all white and shiny.



It didn't last long, and actually turned into some nasty icy roads Monday morning, but it sure was pretty!

Salmon River Trail

This morning we left before sun rise and drove toward Mt. Hood for some walking in the snow with Pepper. We had originally planned for a trip to the Mirror Lake, a place we visited some time ago in March or May or so, and were surprised by the amount of snow that was left!, but it looks like the trail head is currently closed. So we picked the Salmon River Trail, which was supposed to be open. We arrived in just over an hour and it looked gorgeous: Crispy cold (but not too windy), snow on the ground, sunshine. Perfect. Unfortunately, the path was pretty icy. Snow, I can do. Ice... not so much. Especially when the path is narrow, next to a steep drop (OK, it wasn't that steep, but you get the point!), and downhill. Note the fierce expression on my face!


I made it to this beautiful point when the path was completely covered in slick ice and even Jan lost his footing. Even Jan! No way I was going on. Pooh!


Disappointed we turned around and then decided to walk along the road some more. And we were rewarded with nice snow, lots of fun for Pepper (and us), and a good 1-hour walk. Not what we had originally planned, but it was a good morning after all.

Same procedure as every year

January first and sunny weather - sounds like Mt. Hood to me!

I arrived a bit earlier than in previous years, so I actually got to see the sun rise after I parked at Timberline - beautiful!

The air was crisp and very much in motion - most lifts were actually closed due to high winds.

But windy or not - this is always a great way to start into the New Year. Happy New Year everyone!