Tumalo Mountain has been a repeat destination this year for snowshoe hikes. Although clouds had started to roll in, we decided to make the trek up Tumalo and test our luck. The snow right now is soft, and deep, ideal for snowshoeing (in my opinion). The hike itself is said to be 1.8 miles from parking lot to summit, but our tracker shows 1.55 miles, and a 1,400 foot elevation gain.
I recommend going after a fresh "dumping" of snow. The trees are loaded with cotton candy like snow, and bent in ways that remind me of Whoville.
It was far too foggy and windy to stay at the summit, so we started making our way back down the mountain before sunset. About a quarter of the way down, however, the sunset colors really started to blend with the fog. What it created was simply breathtaking.
