Snowy finals
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Posts tagged winter
Throwback Thursday
Almost six years ago, this happened.
Muir Creek “trail”
Almost five months have passed since I began this story. I suppose I should write down a few more details before they fade from my mind.
I could not find a trail down to the water and the falls so I forged my own. It got a bit scary at times as it was fairly steep. I made it down with only a minor fall or two. I walked along Muir Creek for a while, realizing that I wasn’t going to be able to reach the waterfall without crossing the river. So I gave up on that idea and instead headed south along the east bank away from Muir Creek Falls. The views were beautiful without falls. I walked carefully as I was sinking in the snow, rather deeply, even with snowshoes. There was so much snow I was worried that it wasn’t all on solid ground, and I could plunge through the snow and into the water.
After today’s photo I turned around and began to retrace my steps. Walking was much easier stepping into my old prints than creating new ones as I’d only sink an inch or two with each step instead of many inches on my way down. I lost my fear and increased my pace. That was when my prior anxiety was realized. Although I stepped into my prior steps, this second time I went straight through the snow (more than four feet of snow) and into the water. My adrenaline kicked in like never before. It seemed to know that I was on my own, and if things didn’t quickly get better rather than worse I could be a dead man.
I think one of my snowshoes caught some wood at the bottom while my other was in water (with my foot still in it). My head and shoulders were above the snow (I’m 6’4″), my feet were in water, and my body was in snow. I couldn’t see my situation below the snow. I had no branches or other items on the surface to pull myself up with. As I struggled, snow around me disappeared into the water below. That wasn’t good as without the snow around me I had no way of getting out. Details are foggy at this point as everything happened so fast, but I think I was able to get one of my poles up and out and onto something more solid than the snow immediately around me. My right snowshoe on a log or branch or something also gave me a bit of leverage. Somehow I got myself up and out of there.
The rest of the walk back up the mountain and to my car was uneventful. My socks, boots, and pants below my knees were frozen solid as they had gone under water before reemerging into the below freezing temperatures.
Muir Creek in winter
Muir Creek (near Muir Creek Falls) from the east
As I mentioned a couple days ago, my first goal on my snowshoeing adventure last week was to see Muir Creek Falls in winter. There isn’t a single photo of the place in winter on the internet. The normal trail to the falls is 3.9 miles each way. I wasn’t up for 8 miles in snowshoes, especially since I had a late start and wouldn’t be arriving until late afternoon. So, in looking at a map, I decided to try to get there from the Claude Lewis Trailhead / Sno-Park parking lot. The two places appeared to be only about 1,000 feet from each other on Google Maps.
The parking lot was easy to find and well plowed. I was the only person there. There were no trails or prints of any kind so I had to forge my own path, something snowshoes are pretty good for. The snow varied from a few feet to over 10-feet deep in places. The snow was very soft, and I sank 6-12 inches with every step, even with snowshoes. Although the going was mostly flat, after 1,000 feet or so I came to the scene shown in today’s photo. Muir Creek was right in front of me, but it was a hundred + feet down with no trails or feasible way to make the descent.
Snowy sunset
Sunset looking away from Crater Lake
Thursday I headed to Crater Lake, and surrounding areas, with two goals. I failed to reach either goal.
My first goal was to snowshoe to Muir Creek Falls from the Claude Lewis Trailhead parking lot. Didn’t quite happen. More on that later.
My second goal was to capture a sunset, for the first time, at Crater Lake. Today’s photo is as close as I got. Those clouds on the right covered the lake and turned into thick fog as well just minutes after I took this photo. I had high hopes too, as Crater Lake looked like this less than an hour before sundown.
Snow kissed panorama
7-photo photomerge panorama of Ashland, Oregon
Before heading down the hill to work last Monday morning I climbed out a window and up to the top of my roof to capture this image.
For the details, click on the image a time or two.
Ice Walker
Last week I posted a photo from the edge of Lake of the Woods. This was from a walk I took last weekend in snow shoes.
Today’s photo is from the middle of the lake after I ventured out past the shadows. In the shadows there was snow on the ice, and things felt more solid. I probably could have kept going straight across to my car near the lodge in the distance, but as the ice became more transparent I figured my adrenaline levels were high enough so I turned back at this point and walked around instead.
Frozen Lake of the Woods
Lake of the Woods with Mount McLoughlin in the background in winter
Lincoln Mill Pond
Before this week’s warm temperatures melt things around here, I headed up to the Greensprings last Friday for this photo of the (then frozen) pond off Highway 66 near Pinehurst Elementary School.
Grizzly Peak with snow above the fog
Last week we were treated to a spectacular morning view. I headed out to the lower level of our roof to get this photo. I wanted to head up to the upper level for a better panorama of the sunrise with the fog filling the valley below, but the roof was covered in ice. I couldn’t move without falling so I had to settle for this.