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John Stephenson led 10 CONC members on a ski tour to Todd Lake on December 8, 2024.  His timing was pretty good, as our freeze-thaw cycle was slightly interrupted the night before and during the day with a bit of fresh snow.  Yet conditions were not ideal, but everyone was capable and enjoyed getting out.  Dennis Krakow brought up the rear as sweep, and found the cache of snowshoe signs.  He was able help out the shoers by putting up the sign showing the trail entrance off Road 370.

(photos by Molly Conners)

Contributed by hike leader Sharon Evoy

It was a beautiful day in the Dry River Canyon. Three of us & one well behaved dog had it to ourselves nearly the whole time. Conditions were ideal - no ice! 

Contributed by ski leader Gary Elnan

Our revised ski route of Upper Meissner trails was a good choice - the groomed trails were in fine shape and everyone had a pleasant ski in good trail conditions.  We saw only a handful of other skiers on our Tangent-Gentian-Gilia-Bitterbrush-Snowbush-Tangent route from Swampy.  The temperature was about perfect, no wind, and bluebird skies.  We skied about 6.1 miles fairly quickly but it didn't seem too strenuous.  Still working on our ski conditioning.

Contributed by leader John Stephenson

Six snowshoers, including several Bend newcomers, completed the Todd Lake snowshoe loop on this beautifully sunny day. The lake was frozen over, and the sun-exposed flats had a topping of large, shiny crystalline flakes that must have formed during the recent freeze-thaw cycles. Unusual and pretty cool!

Contributed by trip leader John Stockham

We had 5 early-season skiers who skied 8.0 miles on Tangent, Snowbush, and Manzanita starting from the Swampy SnoPark.  Snacks at Meissner Shelter.  Started skiing about 9:30 AM. We had originally planned a somewhat shorter route on Gentian and Bitterbrush Loop, but these trails were not yet groomed.  Beautiful day - sunny around 30 degrees.  The trails were all in good shape - but could use a bit more fresh cover.

Contributed by hike leader Gary Jones.

Four hikers enjoyed the last club hike of the season in the Whychus Canyon Preserve Sunday, November 24.  Mostly sunny weather and light winds made for a great late season outing!

Sorry, no picture.

Contributed by trip leader Kelly Clemen

Eight snowshoers met at Skyline Park on a Saturday morning to head up to Swampy Sno Park. The drive up the Cascade Lakes highway was uneventful but there was already a steady stream of cars heading up to Mt Bachelor. Later weekend snowshoes will have to meet up earlier in order to beat traffic up to the mountain.

We met up with two additional participants at the Sno Park and the whole group met up at the kiosk for introductions. As we headed out, the sun was peeking out and no snow was falling. We found the first part of the trail to be well-trod with a light layer of new snow over the top--easy walking. The trip leader demonstrated the important concept of avoiding walking too close to trees as one of her legs broke through the snow into the empty space around the tree. She needed a little help getting out and sheepishly reminded the group to avoid tree wells.

We got to the first junction and discovered that the trail had not been broken from there. Participants started taking turns being the leader and breaking trail for the group. Everyone was enthusiastic about the additional effort required and we soon found ourselves at the Swampy Shelter. We stopped inside for a snack break and discussed whether we wanted to complete the loop or head back the way we came in order to avoid having to keep breaking trail. The group decided to continue breaking trail to complete the loop. Snow was now falling continuously as we headed out again, making for beautiful surroundings as we slowly worked our way around the loop. We made it back to the original junction and previously trod trail. It was easy-going to get back to the trailhead and we passed the only other snowshoers we saw all day. We let them know that we had kindly broken the trail to the shelter for them.

We made it back to the trailhead a little over 4 hours after we started. Everyone was happy to get back to their cars after the morning's exertions. 

Contributed by Sue Sullivan

We’ve recently had confirmation from the Forest Service that the Edison Sno-Park will remain closed for the 2024-25 winter season. 

Not all the ski and snowshoe trails in the Edison trail system were impacted by the fire, and some trails that were within the fire perimeter had minimal damage (i.e. the area burned looked more like a controlled burn). However, many parts of the trail system had intense burning, and fallen  snags and dangerous trees that remain standing will need to be cleared to make the trails usable once again. We’ll be given the opportunity to get into the area with the Forest Service people next summer to assess what needs to be done to get the trails back in shape. 

The map below can give you a rough idea of the parts of the trail system within the fire perimeter. 

We also have confirmation that the Edison Shelter was burned in the fire. Since it was scheduled to be burned this fall anyway, it’s not a great loss. The Forest Service is still moving ahead with plans to replace the Edison Shelter with another structure, and we’ll be working with them to determine what sort of shelter and where it will be located in the trail system. 

Since the Edison trail system is unavailable, that means one less place for people to go for winter recreation with dogs. We’re working on updating the Skyliner trail system to make that a more appealing dog-friendly option. We’ve completed much-needed brushing and trail marking on the East Loop, and have plans to work on the West Loop as well.

Contributed by hike leader John Sweat

I had 9 individuals  who were ready for not only a hike but a geology lesson as well as a history lesson.  The first trek headed out to Badlands Rock to view some ancient Pictographs and an area thought to be a birthing spot for indigenous women.  The next leg of our hike took us up the Dry River Canyon, where we saw multiple layers of geological activity.  We were fortunate to have CONC member/ Amateur Geologist to educate us, when and why this occurred.  Our stats for the day were a total of 8.5 miles with an elevation gain of 550 ft.

Badlands Rock

Dry River Canyon

Photos courtesy of Ann Padgett

On Sunday, a dozen eager Central Oregon Nordic Club (CONC) members gathered at Swampy Sno-Park, ready to tackle the Swampy Loop. As we arrived at the trailhead, we found three more CONC skiers already there, eager to explore the park on their own.

We headed out on the west side of the Loop, making our way towards the cozy Swampy Shelter. Once there, we stoked the fire in the stove, using the firewood kindly provided by CONC. As we prepared to continue our loop, three more club members arrived, making it a full-on CONC takeover of the shelter!

On our return trip, we encountered a lone field mouse darting across the snowy meadow. It was a peaceful reminder of the park's natural beauty.

All in all, it was a fantastic day of skiing under the warm winter sun. The Swampy Loop is a great option for a fun, family-friendly outing.