Trailb Log:

Title:	Larch Mt. Snowy Shoe Test
Date:	December 03, 2005 Saturday	Type:	snow
State:	OR	Near:	Portland, Mt Hood National Forest
Distance:	Under 4 miles	Time:	About 3

The beginning of December and the snow level suddenly dropped.

Mike and I seized upon the opportunity to try some snowshoeing. He got the equipment last year, but despite his best effort he could not find any snow. This year however is shaping up to be a wet, cold winter here in the northwest.

To get there: Since snowshoeing is brand new to both of us, we headed to Larch Mounting, which is just a short drive form Portland. To get there you just:

• Head east on I-84 into the gorge and take the exit up toward the town of Corbit.
• Follow the Scenic Highway east.
• When it splits down to the vista house, instead follow the right branch to larch Mt.

On the way up, everything quickly turned to white and we stopped to put on chains. Some locals passed and mentioned that we would be unwise to go any further, unless we had a saw and some rope to remove snags that might fall. We thanked them for the advice, but paid it little mind. As we continued it became apparent that the trees were, in fact, snapping due to the weight of the fresh snow. One car we passed even had a large, freshly broken branch laying across its hood.

The hike: Several more miles up we found an adjacent road to backup onto and park. The snow was getting too thick to drive in anyway. After fumbling with our snowshoes, we started up the road. This turned out to be a great place for beginners (like us) to try out the sport. The open road was easy to follow and allowed us to get a real feel for the equipment. Soon we were cruising along. After passing the second mile marker, we decided to start back. This was just meant to be a test hike and it was already beginning to get dark. We hiked part of the way back off road. Heading through the forest was a whole different experience then I expected. With the thick snow, we were able to just walk over obstacles that were in the way.

Back at the car, we quickly packed up. Suddenly there was a series of crashing sounds. The trees had reached a critical mass and were beginning to snap. In a rush we started out, but the slippery road slowed us down. I had to keep it in first gear, less I wanted us to spin out into a snow bank. A revelation I came to, only after the car did a 180 while in second. Still, we could hear more and more branches snapping on either side of us.

Sure enough, with only a few more miles out, we were stopped by a tree that had fallen across the road. In a way we felt like idiots for not bringing a saw, but this thing was large enough that it would not have mattered. To compound things, my cell phone was not picking up a signal, so we could not even call for assistance. Fortunately, luck was on our side. Just after dark, several locals came by in very, very large trucks. Fastening a strap to the tree, they snapped it in half and continued oh their way up the mountain.

-- toaster