Steve, Jacob and Christine joined us on what was expected to be a hot, sunny, pleasant trek full of terrific views. We knew the trailhead was out in the middle of nowhere, but it took a really long time to get there, putting us on the trail almost 1.5 hours behind schedule. But the long drive was broken up by a little excitement when A BEAR ran across the road right in front of us! It wasn't huge but it also wasn't a baby. We decided it must be a teenager. I've never seen a bear in the woods before... yay!! (and all from the safety of our car!) We bounded through huge potholes and slid over a couple small snow patches on our way to the trailhead. Our drive came to an abrupt end when we rounded a corner and found snow across the road - one pile covering the path 4-5 feet deep. My Ford Escape wasn't making it over that, so we pulled over right there, put on our boots and packs and started our hike. Luckily, we weren't far from the end of the road.
After a short time, the trail disappeared under more snow... a lot of it. It's not a winter recreation area, so there were no little blue diamond markers to guide us. And the snow was so deep that if there were any regular trail markers, we couldn't see them. We had map and compass (and Brad had been there once before), so we navigated the old fashioned way. We stayed near a ridge as we made our way toward the tree line, catching glimpses of the summit here and there. Every once in a while Adams, Rainier and St. Helens could also be seen to the north. We stopped for lots of gawking and photos.
We came out of the woods to amazing views of the mountains, the Gorge, the Hood River valley, Central Oregon. We also stumbled upon a sign way down in a tree well confirming that we were in the right spot! Always a comforting feeling.
After resting, refueling and reapplying sunscreen, we headed up the snowy slopes. 
Then it was up a rocky ridge to the saddle below the spur. Tiny alpine wildflowers were everywhere. The snow and lack of trail slowed us quite a bit, and we decided to call it good without going the extra 800 vertical feet up the spur. After getting tons of "summit" shots, we started down.
Things really picked up when we hit the snow and taught the mountain newbies the art of the standing glissade. There were screams, laughter and smiles all around.
Things got a bit tricky when we reentered the woods. Without a trail, and with sunset fast approaching, the adventure intensified. We took a wrong turn and ended up off course. I slid on the soft, slippery snow and fell into a deep tree well. Christine thought it looked like so much fun that she followed me in :) No one was hurt, though my elbow and knee are a little scraped.Thankfully, we put our minds together and figured out where we needed to be. We found the ridgeline from our ascent and kept it in sight as we made our way down. And now I call Jacob "Tommy Lee Jones," from "The Hunted" (watch it and you'll understand). Soon, we spotted the log where we had stopped for snacks on the way up... and there was the trail!
Even with a couple stops for photos of the glowing mountain (Christine filled her memory card!), we made it off the Forest Service roads before dark. Dinner was sandwiches at the ZigZag Subway (which apparently had the heat on inside!)We figured we'd be home around 6. We pulled in the driveway about 11. But the views were phenomenal and the weather was perfect: warm, clear, calm. The company was wonderful! Jacob definitely caught the climbing bug, and Christine was already planning our next hike during the ride home. Steve got a taste of next weekend's adventure: climbing Mount Adams. Their excitement was contagious. Plus, we didn't see another soul the whole time we were on the mountain.
That was, without a doubt, one of our best, most memorable outdoor adventures! Thank you, God, for your magnificent creation and love and care for us.
-Liz :)
Whoa doggie! You had me sitting on the edge of my seat!
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