Christmas 2009 at Mt Hood, Oregon - A most memorable snowshoeing experience.
The Government Camp area of Mt Hood, Oregon offers an abundance of snowshoe trails. Part of the challenge (and the fun) of the trip is searching through the guidebook to select an ideal trek. The “perfect” trail involves a number of considerations; snow conditions, scenic vistas, degree of difficulty, and a moderate elevation gain (500-1000 ft). Such a route is usually rated “more difficult” on a scale ranging from Easy, to More Difficult, to Backcountry.After completing our “research”, Jill, Jeff and I departed Government Camp for White River Sno-Park West – the trailhead - for a 3 mile round trip snowshoe trek. The guidebook suggested we follow this popular trail past all the snow tubers into the solitude of the trees, passing by a Gravel Pit and continuing until we passed beneath the power lines that serve nearby Mt Hood Meadows Ski Area. The route promised many vistas of Mt Hood, however, this day was overcast and spitting snow, lowering our expectations for a view of the sculpted mountain.
We fitted up all our clothing and gear. I strapped on my pack; and we headed northwest across the parking lot toward the trail with a starting elevation of 4200 ft. Jeff led the way, followed by Jill, while I took up the rear.
At this point the trail followed a road that had been heavily travelled based on the ski and snowshoe tracks. It was also nice that the trail was slightly downhill. We trudged downward – hoping we were headed in the right direction. After more than a half-mile the road forked. Looking at the map again, Jeff and I concluded we should go left. We trudged another one quarter mile or so, and the trail/road just ended. There were few tracks in the snow. Jeff followed some tracks through the trees thinking it may lead somewhere – but returned convinced it wasn’t the right trail. We decided to go back to the fork and follow the other trail. So, back uphill we went and then followed the other trail until it ended. We were really confused now as this did not match the map – and did not seem right. We stood somewhat exasperated at this dead end, and decided to follow some tracks down the hillside through the brush. We thought just maybe the trail lead down the mountain to the highway. After a few hundred feet, the tracks just ended.
By now it was pitch dark, and the fact that we were lost was becoming a reality. My cell phone rang and it was Curt, I calmly said we were lost and had a bad map – and would be late for dinner. He laughed in a way that convinced me he was envious and wished he was with us. Jill was hungry so she ate some fruit, snacks and we had a swig of water. This is probably where the stress could have provoked a panic, but we did a good job of controlling our anxiousness and worry allowing calmness to prevail.
We fitted up all our clothing and gear. I strapped on my pack; and we headed northwest across the parking lot toward the trail with a starting elevation of 4200 ft. Jeff led the way, followed by Jill, while I took up the rear.
We followed a trail to the northwest and avoided the busy sledding area off to the right. The trail followed the western edge of the White River Canyon and moved into the tree cover. Before long we picked up the blue diamond trail markers posted on trees. We trudged up a moderate grade until we intersected the Boy Scout Ridge trail which was well signed and marked. At this point we had travelled a little more than a mile and had climbed about 400 feet to elevation 4600. We followed the sign and turned right and climbed over a ridge that dropped us back to another intersection with the Boy Scout Ridge Trail. The BS Trail is a 2.5 mile loop that heads back toward the highway and then back again to connect with the White River Trail. The sign indicated the Yellow Jacket Trail was to the right and said 5 miles to Sno Bunny Sno-Park. Since it seemed too soon to turn back, we followed the sign, turned right and continued northwest along the side hill following the 4600 contour.
We came upon a nice overlook of the Salmon River canyon below and stopped for a breather, a drink of water and snacks. It seemed reasonable to continue on to Sno Bunny Sno-Park and call Curt to pick us up and shuttle us back to our car at White River Sno-Park. So we continued on.
We came upon a nice overlook of the Salmon River canyon below and stopped for a breather, a drink of water and snacks. It seemed reasonable to continue on to Sno Bunny Sno-Park and call Curt to pick us up and shuttle us back to our car at White River Sno-Park. So we continued on. A little further we came upon a fallen tree that made a perfect bench for photos…and another break. 
We continued in a light snowfall, and were “First Tracks” in the snow, making the blue diamond trail markers very helpful. Jeff led the way as we climbed along the side hill to the Salmon River crossing at elevation 4700. The river was basically a small stream that was mostly bridged by snow at the crossing. The fresh powdery snow that covered this steep ravine reinforced the solitude of this location and served as the reward for the grueling, sometimes exhausting workout to get there. 
Jeff had already crossed when we arrived, so Jill, and then I made the jump across and began our climb up the other side. This was a pretty steep and icy climb up through the trees and involved climbing over a large fallen tree. Thankfully, the trail was well marked by the blue diamonds and included arrows at angle points.
Jeff had already crossed when we arrived, so Jill, and then I made the jump across and began our climb up the other side. This was a pretty steep and icy climb up through the trees and involved climbing over a large fallen tree. Thankfully, the trail was well marked by the blue diamonds and included arrows at angle points. The trail made a switchback as we climbed out and began heading south and then southwest along the steep side hill.
Since we didn’t have a detailed map, we didn’t realize how close we were to the road to Timberline Lodge that lied just a few hundred feet above us. This part of the trail meandered through a fairly dense stand of fir, including some very large old growth Douglas Fir – with its rugged bark. Occasionally the trail would open up to a meadow which further enhanced the beauty of the area.
Since we didn’t have a detailed map, we didn’t realize how close we were to the road to Timberline Lodge that lied just a few hundred feet above us. This part of the trail meandered through a fairly dense stand of fir, including some very large old growth Douglas Fir – with its rugged bark. Occasionally the trail would open up to a meadow which further enhanced the beauty of the area. Jill was capturing all this beauty on camera and was having fun taking photos of Jeff who was out ahead – sort of a Where’s Waldo; finding Jeff among the trees and snow. His bright green coat contrasted with the white snow and green evergreen trees.
The trail included a number of stream crossings and was fairly level as it traversed through the wooded area. As we continued, an artistic reddish sunset off to the west was visible thanks to some great peak-a-boo views through the trees.
The trail included a number of stream crossings and was fairly level as it traversed through the wooded area. As we continued, an artistic reddish sunset off to the west was visible thanks to some great peak-a-boo views through the trees.With the sun setting, darkness was imminent, providing an opportunity to use the headlamps for the first time. We continued along and finally arrived at the intersection with the Sno-Bunny Trail at about 4:30pm. The trail was now dark and lights were needed. Based on our sketchy map, we expected to turn left to get down to Sno-Bunny Sno-Park – but the sign said go right - for another 1.25 miles! Ugh, we couldn’t believe we were that far away, and our map clearly indicated we should turn left. So we ignored the sign and headed left (south).
At this point the trail followed a road that had been heavily travelled based on the ski and snowshoe tracks. It was also nice that the trail was slightly downhill. We trudged downward – hoping we were headed in the right direction. After more than a half-mile the road forked. Looking at the map again, Jeff and I concluded we should go left. We trudged another one quarter mile or so, and the trail/road just ended. There were few tracks in the snow. Jeff followed some tracks through the trees thinking it may lead somewhere – but returned convinced it wasn’t the right trail. We decided to go back to the fork and follow the other trail. So, back uphill we went and then followed the other trail until it ended. We were really confused now as this did not match the map – and did not seem right. We stood somewhat exasperated at this dead end, and decided to follow some tracks down the hillside through the brush. We thought just maybe the trail lead down the mountain to the highway. After a few hundred feet, the tracks just ended.
By now it was pitch dark, and the fact that we were lost was becoming a reality. My cell phone rang and it was Curt, I calmly said we were lost and had a bad map – and would be late for dinner. He laughed in a way that convinced me he was envious and wished he was with us. Jill was hungry so she ate some fruit, snacks and we had a swig of water. This is probably where the stress could have provoked a panic, but we did a good job of controlling our anxiousness and worry allowing calmness to prevail.I was really dreading what appeared to be our only option: To hike all the way back to that sign we ignored! But off we headed uphill, one step at a time, conserving as much energy as possible. Mixed with the exhaustion, was the solitude and serenity of our location. Truly this was a sight and experience to behold – the three of us snowshoeing in the dark with headlamps, tired, cold, and seemingly lost.
We finally arrived back at the sign. We stopped and pulled out my compass to confirm the direction we were headed, which was northwest. Still somewhat bewildered, Jeff led us onward. It wasn’t long before we intersected the West Yellow Jacket trail off to the right/northeast. This only added to our confusion, but we trekked on. The trail was on a gentle downgrade and well travelled, increasing our confidence that we were getting closer to Sno-Bunny Sno Park. We were silent and cautiously optimistic as we trekked downward. Soon we arrived at a sledding hill; a big open area with a good hill for sledding. We knew were getting closer to something, and about 300 yards further, we arrived at the Sno Park. We shouted with joy – and pride of our accomplishment! It was nearly 7pm – and had been dark for about 2.5 hours. I called Curt and he arrived to pick us up in just a few minutes. We were cold, especially Jeff’s hands and feet, so it was nice to load into a warm car and head back to the condo for dinner that Natalie had all prepared and ready for us.
We were glad to be home and thankful to be safe. We had a wonderful adventure and created a family memory that we will treasure for years to come.
