Back to Winter



Another few feet of snow in the Cascades meant another snowshoe hike was a must. This time the trip was along the Lava Flats trail. The Lava Lake area lies deep in the Willamette National Forest. The most common tree species here are tall Douglas Firs. The new snow was soft and powdery with the snowshoes leaving a trail about a foot deep. The several small creeks running under the snow added excitement and we needed some care to avoid breaking through and soaking our feet. Jack London’s tale ‘To Build A Fire’ came to mind. At this point we realized that we had the dog but no matches.

The snowfall had produced lots of odd and picturesque forms like the two trees converted into snow children in the picture below. Winter or summer the Mackenzie River area is always worth a visit. Although it is home to lots of wildlife, we only spotted one lone deer today, but it is difficult not to make lots of noise huffing and puffing if the powder is fresh and deep.

2 Responses so far.

  1. Never having read Jack London story you mentioned I hope you aren't making a joke that we were going to burn the dog! Very nice post otherwise. I wasn't worried about wet feet but twisted ankles.

  2. No we weren't going to set fire to the dog. In the story, the dog is the only one who makes it home. It is a good read on a cold winter's night with the wind sawing around the window frames.

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