Deb and I wanted to go to Tamanawas Falls today, but the freezing level was on the rise and we thought we might be hiking through slush and possibly in the rain if we went there, so we went a little higher to the White River Sno Park instead with the intent of getting up on Boy Scout Ridge.
Our first stop was the viewpoint along Highway 26 just before the Laurel Hill historical marker. The whole hillside of trees was covered in fresh snow. Pretty!
There were maybe a dozen cars when we parked at White River. The weather was not ideal: low clouds and a constant light misting that wasn’t quite drizzle. But I hoped that would stop later on.
No views of Mt. Hood today:
Little trees on a snowy hillside:
Big trees on top of the snowy hillside:
The trail entered the trees and we were surrounded by a winter wonderland:
After a short climb up a hill….
We came up against a very big hill:
Is that the way up to Boy Scout Ridge? No way to know since the trail isn’t marked. Plus, although it’s hard to tell from this picture, it looked like a steep climb. Not to mention that the misting rain hadn’t stopped and we would not be rewarded with views after the effort of climbing up there.
So we went and admired the canyon view before turning around. It was VERY cold and windy here! My lens was spotted with water when I took this shot:
On the way back I made a small snow woman, which I now realize I forgot to give arms to. Oops!
One last view of the canyon before descending back down to river level.
Back at the car as we were taking off snow gear, I realized just how soaked I was. It had never full-on rained over the course of our three-hour hike, but the misting had continued all afternoon (constantly covering my glasses with spots) and it had soaked through my jacket, hat, and gloves. When we turned on the car it said it was 33 degrees out. Just above freezing and drizzling…ick. Ah well, we still had a good time!
