Got my first adventure in the snow yesterday with Jason and Sam. We did a loop south on the PCT from Frog Lake Snopark and then back towards Salmon River Meadows. We had to do a brutal off-trail slog up a clear cut at the end to make this a loop but it was worth it and the snow was great. Sam had a tough day, his booties fell off right away and he got lots of ice clumps but he was a trooper and hung in there. Treats and pampering today for him.
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Scott and I hiked half of the Wonderland trail around Mt. Rainier in three days. We'd planned to go all the way around but Scott fractured his wrist after slipping on the trail near the end of the day and we hiked out to get him to a hospital. Luckily the bones remained lined up and he should heal up great. We loved both of our first visits to Mount Rainier National Park. We saw bear, including a cub, and mountain goats and vista after vista of gorgeous alpine terrain. A highlight for me was a swim in a calm clear lake that took me away from the bugs and to a very peaceful place; there was a perfect balance of water to air temperature. I hope to get back there for another visit. We had great help from NPS rangers, Morton emergency room staff and helpful passersby for hitchhiking back to our car. more photos]]>
Scott and I hiked the Timberline trail around Mt. Hood this weekend, partly in preparation for hiking around Mt. Rainier on the Wonderland trail in a couple weeks. I'm pretty bushed from the two-day hike so I hope I'll stand up to the five days of hiking the Wonderland. We almost got turned around on the north side by a fire but after running in to a crew of Hispanic firefighters we learned it was a small fire and lower in elevation than our trail took us. If it had been windy we probably would have turned back. We had gorgeous weather throughout and I managed to take some photographs on the way.
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Spent two nights at the coast over the weekend at a rental house in Rockaway beach. We were a short way from the beach on a hill with a great view of the water. Some foggy mornings clearing to beautiful sun it felt so good to get out of town. Got a bike ride and a hike/run in. I found an old road that Google showed but was grassy and unused, a great footpath through what used to be an old-growth forest. Some of the stumps must have been 15' in diameter!
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Headed to the east side of Mount Hood on Saturday with Scott for a two-night backpacking trip in to the Badger Creek Wilderness. We'd been there a number of years ago and had always wanted to go back. We came in from a different direction this time and saw some great terrain. At the beginning we couldn't always follow the trail because of the snow and it was hard going at times. We had a great campsite and got the morning sun first thing. Really relaxing to be out in the woods. More photos.
Jean and I just got back from an amazing vacation to San Diego and Joshua Tree. We visited my uncle and his partner in San Diego and enjoyed his beautiful house. Then we headed to Joshua Tree where we had a two-day climbing class focused on leading with Vertical Adventures. We lucked out with amazing guide, Tony Sartin. Each of us (there was one other student with us) got two leads where we were backed up by a top-rope and Tony was on a fixed line next to us, giving us advice and commenting on our gear placements. It was a great way to learn. Wednesday Jean and I were inspired to do some climbing on our own and I did my first lead up Carolyn's Rump (5.4) on Cyclops Rock. It was exhilarating and scary at times to be out on my first lead but I really loved it. I was pretty sure I wasn't going to fall and I didn't. This week I'm starting a class with the Mazamas to further work on my climbing skills. This trip to Joshua Tree has me really stoked for that! Back in San Diego one of the highlights was a seafood taco cart, you must go there if you visit.]]>
I've created a new web home for my software business: ross-soft.com. This new website combines the various websites I've had for my Mac, iPhone and iPad apps and will make it easier for folks to see all the apps I develop. Look for more exciting app development from David Ross Software in 2011 on ross-soft.com!
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I'd been out in Enterprise, Oregon since the 1st of the year and last Thursday Jason, Elvira, Chrissy and Tori drove out to go camping in the Wallowas with me and Jean. We had bad luck with the weather as it warmed up and rained in what is normally a dry snow climate. So Jason and I didn't get any turns in and we left a night early but we all enjoyed getting out for an adventure regardless. It's a beautiful wilderness I'd like to see more of.
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Our monthly group run took five of us plus Sam to the Lewis River trail near Mt. St. Helens on Sunday. There was more snow than we anticipated but we were able to park near the bottom trailhead. Gorgeous winter landscape, Sam chased some elk and an owl. Sun was kind and came out for us. (route on Garmin Connect)
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Took a mushrooms for beginners class at Smith and Bybee Lakes on Saturday, taught by Metro's James Davis. Learned there are as many types of mushrooms in Oregon as types of birds in the whole world. We learned some basics and then collected whatever we could find and sorted them out with the field guides. Taking the class tuned my eyes in to the fungi and I saw so many mushrooms on my run the next day!]]>