Trillium Lake - Even More Fresh Snow

The Trillium Lake Trail is wide and accessible and starts from a snow park that is right next to Highway 26 and just down the road from Government Camp. Wide and Accessible? Hell during the summer it is the 2 lane paved road that goes down to the lake and the nice little state campsite there on the East side. This trail is heavily used by everyday outdoor people and by causal adventurers and even tourists. The local Cross Country Ski gang have up signage and do grooming for skiers. For much of the road part of the trail there are (or are supposed to be) 2 trails on the road. The one on the left (going down the hill) is a 2 track trail for cross country skis. The one on the right (going down the trail) is a 2 foot wide and deep track that is for snowshoe trudging. If you are a tourist, you can try in your sneakers, but don't wander out of the tracks or you are going to be up to the butt of your designer jeans in powder.

This is the second time this season that were lucky enough to score a sunny day right after a good snowfall. We got an early enough start that the roads, starting as low as Zig Zag, still had snow and ice on them. Coming up the steep winding road just below government camp there were even a couple of 16 wheelers (with chains on) that had stalled out and were slowly sliding/rolling back down the hill backwards. The traffic was just whizing around them so I guess this happens. The traffic was sort of whizzing past me also, as I am not a 'fast on ice' driver. Paige was assuring me that I was going at a reasonable and safe speed and I was assuring her (and myself) that we have a competent vehicle. We were driving our AWD Subaru Forester with Snow Tires (not studs. I hate studded tires for what they do to roads and the funny sound they make when they drive past my house). I also keep a set of cable chains in the car during the winter. I have never had to use them when I had the snow tires on, but it is one of those simple safety things you can do that could really save your ass if you got caught in an ice storm or something. 

The parking lot at Trillium Lake TH always has a few cars in it. There is a section that allows overnight parking and there were 3 or 4 cars there when we had arrived that had spent at least one night there (they had a foot of snow on top of them).  I find the idea of spending the night out in the snow (in 10 degree weather) to be intriguing and attractive but not so much that I would do so, at least not without some guidance from someone that knew what they were doing. Perhaps Chip will take me...

The first part of the trail is you only steep hill of the day. A good downhill plunge for a quarter of a mile. I have no idea how the X country guys make it back up this hill. Of course, I don't know how they go down it without using their face a lot. We did see some beginners out a couple of weeks ago and they were all laying down in the snow on that hill wondering what they hell they had gotten themselves into. 

Two Tracks

After this most recent snow either the X-country folk had been drifting too far right or the walkers had been drifting too far left because for much of the track there was only the one trail. The Skiers are very protectionist and snobby. They don't like it when "those Snow Shoe People" stomp around on their pretty 2 track trails. They complain. Snow shoers  probably don't know any better but they do know enough to point out that it is a public trail and all they are doing is walking on it. I think the Cross Country Skiers are all in a bad mood because they all know they have to go back up that big fucking hill to get back to their cars. 

The sun came out when were were at around the 1.5 mile mark. This is about halfway to the 'bottom' of the lake (where the little river exits and where there is a great view of Mount Hood).  There are a few turn offs here and there (the road that takes the big loop around the lake. The road that goes into the state campground, the road that goes to the boat launch. etc). The road into the campground had a single set of snow shoes going that way. We decide to follow the main road (and tromped trail) to the lake and then decide where to go from there. 

There are quite a few people out on the trail, but everyone is pretty spread out. It wasn't like we could usually see or hear anyone while we were moving. The new snow is deep and sooo white. Remember always to bring Poloroid Sunglasses with you when you go out to hike through the snow. Once the sun comes out you have no way to protect your eyes from the glare of the sun as it will come from all directions. Paige and I have good pairs of Maui Jims. I have had mine for a decade or more and really like them, though they are pricey. If I am wearing contacts, I just have a cheap pair of sun glasses from Costco. I like them too. The polaroid really cuts down on the reflected glare. Oh, and here is an article on Snow Blindness just for fun. 

Had a great view from the dam down at the bottom of the lake. A number of people down there sitting in the sun and enjoying the view and the lunch. Only one solitary set of tracks going across the lake. The sign near the road warning of thin ice due to warm weather might have had something to do with this. We were down here once with a group of people and had set up a little place to build a small fire and enjoy the evening. It was New Years Eve and we were waiting for the fireworks to go off at Timberline on Mount Hood. One of our party took off his snowshoes and walked a little ways from our trampled down spot and sunk up to his thigh in the snow. When he pulled his foot out, it was wet. Evidently there wasn't any ice down there under the snow, just water. And it was very cold out that night.

There is a trail that goes around the lake. It is marked on our new Gaia maps and someone had skied it recently so we decided to follow it along the lake into the campground and then back out to the main road. We were hopeful that we would find a picnic table along in there someplace in the sun that we could clear off and use for our lunch spot.

It was pretty cool snowshoeing back there in the trees. The snow was deep and the going was a little harder. I kept getting snow on my shirt from overhanging heavily laden branches. I didn't like this much because I was only wearing a light layer at this time and the snow would melt quickly and make we wet and cold. Best to brush it off fast. 

Perhaps this is a good time to talk about the whole 'layering' thing. Out on a strenuous snowshoe on a cold day is a good time to use layers. I usually start off with a good base layer (I am currently in love with this smartwool offering) and a good (perhaps down?) vest. On top of that I have a light fleece jacket that I wear until I warm up a bit. On my hands I usually have fingerless wool gloves and over then, a pair of windproof water resistant shell gloves. On my legs I wear a light under layer (will try the wool next year) and a good pair of tech material trousers. I also like to wear knee high waterproof gaiters. They keep the snow out of my shoes and. help keep my legs warm, and they look so fetching. All of this is fine as long as the wind doesn't blow and it doesn't rain or snow. Well, and the temperature is say... above 20. If it is wet or windy, then I have my rain gear to put on. I have rain pants and a nice goretex jacket from LL Bean. What about my head? I have this wool pendleton cowboy hat I like. But if it gets too windy I can't wear that so I have a watch cap I can put on and then pull up my raincoat hood.  What else? I have a couple of those general purpose Buffs that I can use as a neck gator or pull up over my ears and/or face. 

The important part about layering is to use the layers to moderate your temperature on a constant basis. If you get hot, don't wait until you start to sweat, that will just make you wet on the inside. Stop and take off a layer. I have a good outside stretch pocket on my pack I can stuff my light jacket and vest into as I go. 

Stellar's Jay

Pushing through the trees and the campground was hard work. We never did find a picnic table in the sun though we did see a few snowed in shelters and pit toilets.  We ran into this guy towing a sled carrying a lot of gear (he wasn't wearing a pack). Also on  the sled was his 8 year old son. They were going out to spend the night someplace around the lake. I asked him how it was, he said, "very quiet". Lucky for us, his towing that sled left a good big wide track for us to walk in. 

We ended up stopping out at the road intersection because the run of the main road left a big clear area for the sun to shine through and it was glorious and warm out there. Didn't have the view of the mountain, but we did enjoy that as we went along the lake.  When we eat lunch we stomp down and area in the snow. Just walk around for a few minutes until you have an area that is safe to sit down without sinking. Then I throw out my red tarp and we have a seat. We have these little foam pads to keep our buts warm. You can sure tell when you have slid one cheek off of that pad, let me tell you.  We took off our snowshoes today and sat a while enjoying the sun and watching people ski or shoe past us. A number of skiers out. 

After our lunch and rest we packed up and started back the 2 miles to the car. We immediately came across a young woman that was walking down the path in little white sneakers and talking to someone on her cell phone. She was sinking a bit in the snow but clearly didn't care. She asked Paige which way to go. Paige told her to stick to the main road. She would have gotten mighty wet and cold if she had wandered off the trail. Of course, she was already 2 miles down the road, a long walk for a visitor to the snow but she was probably out hunting that classic Mt. Hood view that comes with any description of Trillium Lake.  And most of the warning signs were covered in snow...