News

Contributed by hike leader Kelly Cleman

Sunday was bright and sunny as ten hikers set off on the first Sunday hike of the spring season from the Badlands Rock trailhead. Our plan was to do a 8-9 mile loop that included Badlands Rock, Castle Rock and Flatiron Rock.  The route was mostly flat and easy to follow, but occasionally dusty. We made it to the junction with the Castle Rock trail in excellent time and gazed upon Badlands Rock. Then we headed towards Castle Rock and went up into the stone maze to take some photos of the stunning mountains in the distance. It was so clear that we could see as far as Mt Hood. Once we'd had our fill, we set back out on the trail to the Flatiron Rock formation. There we went up and sat down to enjoy some lunch and some views. While it had been pretty warm out on the trail, our lunch area was a bit windy, so we didn't linger too long. We set out again, this time on the Flatiron Rock trail down to the Homestead trail, and headed back to our trailhead. Towards the end, it was pretty warm and dusty and we were all glad to see the cars in the parking lot. But everyone agreed that it had been a lovely day and a good way to start the hiking season.

Contributed to hike leader Gary Jones

A group of six hikers enjoyed a gorgeous day and incredible views on a 5 mile hike from Gray Butte trailhead to the Burma Road pass and back. Wildflowers and meadowlark’s—what’s not to like?

Charlie Cornish led a group of five from the Ten Mile Sno-park. They skied up the No. 10 skimobile trail along the power line with a stop to see some waterfalls.  They lunched along the shores of Paulina Lake.  A great ski day.

On Saturday, April 19, Charlie Cornish led sort of a combo alpine/nordic tour around Hoodoo.  He and two other members took the chair up to access the upper XC trails, then climbed and circled Hoodoo just below the summit.  As they got around to the south side, the clouds parted and the mist dispersed, revealing a resplendent Mt. Washington.  They returned on the downhill slopes to complete the circumnavigation.

This snowshoe tour was postponed a day to April 9, but the bluebird day on Vista Butte was worth the one day wait.  Conditions were optimal for a soft snow hike up to the top for the 360 panoramic views.  Plenty of snow to the top so good coverage for the next couple of weeks. 

We probed the snow depth at the top at 1.9 meters and stopped in the meadow on the way down and our probe never bottomed out at its full length of 2.8 meters. Conditions softened on the way down as temperatures reached near 60 at the SnoPark. We will try this hike again next year!  

Another incredible day of Nordic skiing in the Three Creeks Nordic trails, with new leader Steve Sangster leading his third trip already!.  Three miles up 1,030vertical feet  for some really random telemark skiing on a wide open slope through the charred forest.  Kudos to all who tried and those who,… became more experienced.  Then four and a half miles down the Three Creeks Lake Trail with remarkable views of al three Sisters, Tam McArthur Rim, and other such volcanos and buttes.  

A stop at the Jefferson View Shelter for lunch complete with pesky dogs pretending they were starving.  A cruising run back to the sno-park with a sad reminder that winter is melting away.  Skis on and off for the way down.  Then a very important debriefing at The Barn revealed more truths about today’s suspects.  Thanks to Connie, Chris, Eric, Mark, Kat, John, Amy, Jeanni, for making this happen.  Thanks for signing up, Steve.  Really made my day. 

Beautiful day to ski Meissner Snow Park today with some friends from the Central Oregon Nordic Club. 10.7 miles and 960 feet of vertical climbing. Snow conditions were soft but very doable, great grip and easy gliding temperatures in the 50s and 60s.Amazing weather and a beautiful day to ski. 

Well, CONC finally toured Flagline Tie on Friday March 21.  Many things could have turned a thick snow day into an epic something or other.  But the sun stayed away and for the first couple of miles we skied tracks from 2 days before that were covered with a few inches of new.   Then the group operated as a democracy and voted to tackle trail breaking to Flagline Tie; now that showed great character! And...at the Butte Trail/Flagline Tie Trail intersection an energetic couple came by and broke trail on the Tie and Flagline!  Still, when we got near Swampy Shelter, it was a unanimous no brainer to rest and eat before the final push back on the well travelled Swampy Loop.

It never hurts to have a bit of luck when going to the Ochocos.  You don't really know if the snow will be any good or if the road to Walton Lake will be plowed.  But Tuesday, March 18, we got lucky; a good thing after driving 65 miles!

There was 8" of powdery snow under the trees, and a breakable crust with an inch or two of overnight fresh on top.  We decided to ski out Corral Loop, then round on Butterfield, and return on Corral.  We broke trail all the way out (about 5 miles), then skied back on our initial tracks for a total of about 6.8 miles.

The Ochocos are quite different from the Cascades, with more open, rolling terrain.  The slopes are dotted with fir and Ponderosa pines, which were nice to see now that Edison is closed.  Starting up the road to Walton Lake, we passed a half dozen wild horses and a band of wild turkeys.  And no other skiers!

Thanks to Roz for sharing her wealth of knowledge about this area, Kris for photos and spotting the turkeys, and Gary for the excellent banana bread!

For his first tour (on March 13), new leader Steve Sangster chose a loop in the tracks at Meissner.  He guided us around Tangent and up to the Meissner Shelter for a brief stop, then down to the lodge for lunch and a return to our cars.  It was a very well organized tour!

The tour started with a cap at 8 people, but was soon increased to 10.  The pace was casual, with plenty of opportunity to socialize and get to know each other.  Conditions were excellent, with a couple of inches of fresh snow covering the old hard pack, which was noticeable in the tracks even though it had been groomed.  Ending the tour with lunch at the lodge was nice, giving us all more opportunity to socialize.  Thanks to Steve; and Welcome to the Leaders group!