Tumalo Mountain at Sunset

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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.

Tamolitch Pool

This is part 3 (and the final part) of my McKenzie River Trail posts! 

First I want to say this: The blue in the photos is completely untouched/un-enhanced. This is how the water photographed, and it's even more beautiful in person. 

 The Tamolitch Pool (also known as the Blue Pool) is the main reason I wanted to hike along the McKenzie River. I had seen pictures of it before, and had to see if it was really that beautiful for myself. After you hike past the waterfalls, you come to a dam, and after that the river seems to dry up. The trail has dried up river beds with fallen trees, no water, and in my opinion, is a pretty ugly part of the trail. After a couple miles though, you suddenly come to this stunning blue pool where the McKenzie River starts again. The river didn't really dry up, it just went underground, and when it reappears, it is pure and COLD! The water looks inviting and refreshing, but it sits around 40˚, which makes it hard to enjoy a leisurely swim. Although the Blue Pool looks shallow, it's up to 40 feet deep, and a popular place for people to cliff jump in the Summer. We ended up doing what we called an "offroad hike" and climbed down to the water. It's a bit of a hidden path if you don't know where to go, but with good shoes is very manageable for most fitness levels.

Pictures do not do this justice! If you are in the area, pack up some lunch, make the hike, and enjoy this beautiful hidden gem. You won't regret it!