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.

Mount Bachelor Hike

Do you live in Central Oregon and ski/snowboard? If so, you've probably been to Mt Bachelor. Maybe you have even taken the Summit lift to the top and enjoyed the view. I, however, do not ski or snowboard, and had never had the pleasure of enjoying the panorama from this Central Oregon treasure.  On Sunday that changed. Ski season is over, so it seemed like the perfect time to hike to the top of Mount Bachelor! We stopped in to Pine Mountain Sports and rented a set of snow trekking poles (only $5 for the whole day!), since the mountain is still covered in snow, and headed up to the mountain. From the parking area, Mt Bachelor does not seem intimidating - but the 2.5 mile hike, and 2500 foot elevation gain was not exactly what I would call easy!
I can see why people love this mountain, and am a bit jealous of those who call Bachelor home on the weekends during ski season.

Above - near the top of Bachelor. Beautiful view, but it gets better!(see how steep the hike is??)

Taken from Mt Bachelor's "true summit". Although the mountains look small/far away, that's just because of the panoramic viewpoint. In reality they are HUGE and look so close!

*If snow hiking is not your thing, the snow will eventually melt. According to Mt Bachelor's website, you can buy a chairlift ticket (adult $17/seniors $14) starting July 4th, which will take you about half way up. From there you can either hike to the top, play disk golf, eat a meal at Pine Marten Lodge, or just enjoy the beautiful views!

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