Swede Loop, 12/28/09

One of our last adventures of 2009 was a holiday trip to my aunts' new Sunriver house. Monday, we strapped on our XC skis and headed into the Swampy Lakes Nordic Area just east of Mount Bachelor.
We'd never been there, so we randomly chose the 7-mile Swede Loop, which makes a stop halfway at the Swede Shelter.

There were several inches of fresh powder on the trail... the really dry, fluffy stuff that we don't get on Hood. The trail was beat up, but the light snow was like a dream... no chunks! There were fairly good XC tracks along the way. The snowshoers seemed to follow etiquette by staying off the ski tracks, and the area is closed to dogs, so there weren't dog print holes everywhere. Plus, some trails are designated for snowshoers and others for skiers to further help the situation.

We took the trail counterclockwise as suggested by the trailhead literature. It proved to be a good move! The view was just trees for almost the entire route. But about 3.5 miles in, we came to the shelter at a lookout and a beautiful view of Broken Top.
Brad playing with his new(ish) GPS:
After a short break, we were on our way to complete the loop. Right after leaving the shelter, the narrow trail sharply gains elevation. We passed several groups that struggled in that section. Fortunately, our backcountry XC skies are more suited for that kind of trail, and we were able to make it up the hill. We were happy that we hadn't tried the clockwise route, since skiing down that stretch would have been difficult.

Brad really loved the trail and enjoyed the challenging uphill section. I wasn't as thrilled and felt like it was more of a slog than a fun gliding ski trip. It also didn't help that I bit it hard and smacked my knee caps. You should see the awesome technicolor bruise! But I did, as always, enjoy getting out in the snow for a good workout.

The nordic area is large with many trails and other shelters to visit. We will be back for more exploration!
:)