This can be seen in the following graph of “snow water equivalent” in the snowpack at Three Creeks Meadow, not far from my home. Within a week the snow water equivalent tripled from 3 to 9 inches. The snow water equivalent then plateaued until March when it started a steady increase until it met and surpassed the 30-year average.

Snow Water Equivalent, Three Creeks Meadows (April 2012)

This pattern of alternating local winter drought and storm is not uncommon. Often one is tempted to extrapolate from late autumn conditions to the rest of the ski season, but this has proven to be unreliable.

When the snowpack recovered Linda and I with friends returned to ski the local backcountry trails. Here Linda prepares for the fun and challenging descent on powder through forest off the Vista Butte summit as snow from the next storm begins to fall.

Linda on Vista Butte, 26 February 2012

We skied many times, backcountry skiing on local trails and skating at the Mount Bachelor Nordic Center through the winter months. This winter was cooler than average and seemed cloudier than most. We are now eager to resume bicycling and hiking in sunnier and warmer conditions.

Diamond Peak, North Summit Ridge from South Summit

More than twenty years ago I skied from Odell Lake along the PCNST and up to the North Summit of Diamond Peak. From that summit I could see the South (true) summit far away across the summit ridge and planned to return someday to visit it. The years passed and other peaks distracted me from returning.

This past August I finally gave Diamond Peak an attempt. The east-side access and South Ridge route descriptions I found described auto travel on rough roads (FSRs 6010 and 380) and cross-country hiking and scrambling through mosquito-infested forest and up talus slopes to reach the summit. It was my first visit to the Summit Lake area and the peak’s southern slopes. The descriptions proved accurate and it was very satisfying to finally visit the summit I had planned for so long to reach.

Pelican Butte, Mount Harriman, and Mount Carmine from Aspen Butte

During August I also finally claimed Pelican Butte and Mount Harriman. Pelican Butte has a closed lookout on the summit. I hiked to the summit via lookout access road (FSR 980) on the west side. It was Sunday and I met several vehicles on my hike, mostly ATVs, but I enjoyed the hike and the good views of Mount McLoughlin and Upper Klamath Lake.

Mount Harriman lies on the northern side of the Mountain Lakes Wilderness. This wilderness lies immediately east of Lake of the Woods in the Southern Oregon Cascades. The terrain was reportedly formed as a 12000 foot volcano that has since been eroded, leaving reminant summits and glacier-carved cirques and lakes. I accessed Mount Harriman from the Varney Creek Trailhead. I followed this trail for a short distance, then turned up the north ridge and began hiking and scrambling through the forest, downed timber, and brush, and and scrambled up talus slopes to the summit. From here I had my first views of Aspen Butte and Mount Carmine and much of the wilderness. I had used GPS tracking, compass bearings, and frequent scanning of the descent route to ensure I could find my way back to the trail and trailhead.

Aspen Butte and Mount Carmine lie on the southern side of the Mountain Lakes Wilderness. I returned the Mountain Lakes Wilderness in late October to climb them. I car-camped overnight at the Clover Creek Trailhead and got an early start the next day. I followed the Clover Creek Trail and the Mountain Lakes Loop Trail to access a climbers’ trail up Aspen Butte. This provided the best view of the Wilderness Area and a good view of my ascent route for Mount Carmine. I descended back to the Mountain Lakes Loop Trail, then dropped down to access and scramble up the southwest ridge of Mount Carmine through open forest and around rock outcrops, then descended to the trail and retraced my route out of the area.

Mount Thielsen from Yamsay Mountain

Meanwhile, in mid October I also visited Yamsay Mountain. Yamsay Mountain is a dormant shield volcano with a glacier-carved crater viewable from the summit. The summit is the site of a former lookout tower, and the trail is the former lookout access road that has been heavily carved with water bars (berms) for erosion control and crossed by many downed trees. The open forest along the trail provided alternatives to the road where the downed timber became too tedious to step over. I scrambled up to the summit ridge when it became visible. From here I had views west towards the familiar Cascades and in other directions where I recognized only some of the many visible peaks.

My Mount Carmine climb finished the last of the Oregon 100 Highest Peaks in the Oregon Cascades I needed to complete the project. Thirty five years earlier I started climbing the Cascade Peaks, and now my Oregon explorations will decisively shift east towards the Elkhorns, the Wallowas, and the isolated peaks of Oregon’s Basin and Range country.

Mount Bachelor Nordic Common Corridor

Over past years Linda and I have taken “skate skiing” lessons at Mount Bachelor. Lessons were essential for me to succeed at this activity, and even so I found skating to be exhausting and sometimes frustrating. But last season and this season we have been skating regularly with Nordic skiing friends, some of whom are quite experienced and even instructors, and I have gradually picked up some good tips from them that has made me a more efficient skate skier and the activity more fun for me.

Typically the Mount Bachelor Nordic Center grooms its trails nightly, which keeps the trails from becoming too icy in our current weather pattern, and sometimes the area gets a dusting of new snow which also helps keep the trails in shape.

Skiing Devecka's Dive at Mount Bachelor Nordic

For the most part this season we have skied the “blue runs”, such as “Woody’s”, “Easy Back”, and “Zigzag”. These are interesting trails through mixed pine and hemlock. The ski traffic mid-week is not heavy, and many times one can stop to catch one’s breath and enjoy the quiet forest ambiance and solitude and views of peaks and alternating sunlight and shadows crossing the trail.

Linda skiing Leslie's Lunge at Mount Bachelor Nordic

This week the Nordic Center groomed and opened up the lower “black runs” and yesterday Linda and I took “Devecka’s Dive” down to “Leslie’s Lunge” and had a very fun descent through the forest on fast but manageable drops and turns. Then we made the long climb back towards the Nordic Center.

We are hopeful for more snow in the Oregon Cascades so we can return to our favorite backcountry trails, but in the meantime we are enjoying the groomed trails and working on our skating skills at Mount Bachelor.

It had been two years since Linda, Doug Parrow, and I last rode a self-supported “loaded bicycle tour” together. These bicycle tours involve loading a touring bicycle with panniers and possibly extra bags and riding a route without auxiliary car support. That tour started in West Glacier, Montana, and led up and over Going to the Sun Road across Glacier National Park, up to Waterton Lakes National Park, and back.

This time we decided to try again a route that we had been turned back on in July 2006 – a loop around Mount Hood starting and ending from Keizer, Oregon. For many years this route had been a staple of the Salem Bicycle Club and had evolved over the years as the club gained experience with alternative routes around the mountain. Doug had led many of these tours and knew the route and its options well. In 2006 we had surrendered to temperatures in triple digits in the Columbia Gorge with the prospect of hotter temperatures ahead on the east side of the Cascades. The temperatures were forecast to be twenty degrees cooler this time.

The Mount Hood Loop - click for more detail

Wednesday (July 6), 55.3 miles. Linda, Doug, and I start at Doug and Jackie’s home and ride to meet two others who are joining us this year – Mel Lucas and Alex Phillips. Our ride starts on many country roads familiar to Linda and I from our years bicycling with the club when we lived in Salem. Beyond Mount Angel we have one steep ridge to climb and descend to reach Molalla where we have lunch. After lunch we ride Oregon 211 with heavy traffic and sometimes narrow shoulders up and over two summits to finish the day with a descent into Milo McIver State Park, near Estacada, where Doug has reserved a nice campsite for us. We set up our tents, shower at the park shower, wash and hang our bike clothes to dry, recharge our GPS units and mobile phones with electrical power at the site, and cook our dinner in camp.

Negotiating steps with loaded bicycles

Thursday (July 7), 65.3 miles. We have a light breakfast in camp, then ride along the Clackamas River on a dirt and gravel road to Estacada where we have a second breakfast at the Harmony Baking Company, a bakery/cafe Alex had discovered on an earlier visit. We leave Estacada and climb over one ridge to reach Sandy where we stop for a latte break. After Sandy the ridge crossings get steeper and our progress slows. Eventually, we reach the Old Columbia River Highway and turn east. We make a short stop at Crown Point, then continue east to Multnomah Falls for a late lunch and then on to Cascade Locks, enjoying the good pavement and views of several waterfalls on the way. Part of the way is on forested bike trails and at one point we need to carefully descend steep concrete steps with our heavy bikes.  We finally reach our day’s destination – the Cascade Locks KOA – where Linda has reserved a campsite. Alex has dinner in camp, but after doing our camp chores the rest of us ride back to town about 2 miles for dinner and to pick up a few items for a light breakfast in camp.

Looking East from the Rowena Crest Viewpoint

Friday (July 8), 65.5 miles. After a light breakfast in camp we ride east, crossing a steep ridge on Herman Creek Road and riding 11 miles on I-84 to reach Hood River. We have a second breakfast at Bette’s Place and stop at Mountain View Cycle & Fitness for Linda to replace her broken bike computer and for others to pick up miscellaneous items. We leave Hood River on Old Columbia River Drive and ride the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail (hike/bike path) through the Mosier Tunnel to reach Mosier. From Mosier we follow US 30 to The Dalles with a stop at the Rowena Crest Viewpoint before the steep drop down the east side. We stock up with bike and camp food in The Dalles, since we need to have adequate food with us to get from Dufur to Detroit Lake in two days. After lunch at Big Jim’s we climb 15 Mile and 8 Mile roads to intersect Oregon 197, climb one hill on OR 197, then turn left and follow Boyd Loop Road to Dufur. We camp at the Dufur City Park. After camp chores we walk to the Dufur Pastime Saloon and Restaurant for dinner.

Doug with Mount Adams behind climbing Tygh Ridge

Saturday (July 9), 58.8 miles. My bike’s front tire is nearly flat this morning. I debate whether to just pump the tire up and see how it handles the road, but think better of it and carefully inspect the tread. I soon find a very slow leak, remove the tire, and find a small piece of wire has punctured the tire and tube. I remove the wire, replace the tube, and pump up the tire. It seems to hold the pressure fine. This proves to be the only puncture I get on the tour.

After a breakfast sandwich and coffee at Kramer’s we leave Dufur to begin what we expected to be and was our hardest day on the tour. We start by climbing 1300 feet up Tygh Ridge on Dufur Gap Road, then join OR 197 and take a long descent to Tygh Valley. We turn onto Wamic Market Road and climb to Wamic, then continue climbing Rock Creek and White River Roads and NFSR 48. Road 48 had very wide road cracks and my tent bounces enough to cause my taillight to contact my rear tire and get swept under my seat where it shattered on contact with my break calipers. I pick up the pieces and continue.

Mount Hood from NFSR 43

We stop off the road in the shade for a lunch, then continue the long climb to a summit on Road 48. I take a break to let the others catch up before dropping down to the White River on NFSR 43. We filter water from the river to fill our water bottles, then climb Road 43 to US 26. After riding about 2 miles west on US 26 we turn south on Oregon Skyline Road NFSR 42 for 3 miles, then descend 2 miles down an access road to Little Crater Lake Campground and the site Doug had reserved for us. It is getting late and there are lots of mosquitoes so we set up our tents, find the water pump, have dinner, and go to bed.

Bear grass in bloom along NFSR 46

Sunday (July 10), 57.7 miles. After a breakfast with mosquitoes we pack up, climb back to Oregon Skyline Road, NFSR 42, and turn south. We gradually climb on Road 42 to a summit, then steeply drop 1300 feet to NFSR 46 and the Clackamas River. From here we know we have one last climb before the descent to Detroit Lake. We take a break at the last summit, then begin our descent, leaving the Mount Hood National Forest and entering the Willamette National Forest. It is a fun descent to Detroit along the Breitenbush River, and after picking up some camp food we ride on to Detroit Lake State Park and our site that Doug had reserved. We enjoy the showers after missing them the previous evening. Doug and Alex ride back to Detroit for dinner, but Linda, Mel, and I eat dinner in camp.

Monday (July 11), 61.4 miles. We have a light breakfast in camp, then break camp and ride to Mill City for a second breakfast at the Mountain Edge Cafe, stopping in Gates for lattes on the way. From here we follow familiar old highways and back roads through Mill City, Lyons, Mehema, Stayton, and Aumsville where Mel parts company with us. We continue on familiar roads to Salem, where Alex leaves us, and finally back to Doug’s home in Keizer. Linda and I pack our gear and bikes and head for home, arriving at the dog kennel with 2 minutes to spare to pick up our dogs, Joey and Chico, before the kennel closes for the day.

This tour took me on some roads I had never traveled on before. Even familiar roads take on a sense of adventure when traveling and camping along them on a loaded bicycle. I vow to find ways to reduce the weight of my equipment, but pushing a loaded bicycle up steep hills for days has been great exercise. We don’t have another loaded bicycle tour scheduled this year, but I expect we won’t wait two years before doing another one.

My local favorite this past winter/spring was the Swampy Lakes Area. The Swampy Lakes Sno-Park located at 5800 feet in elevation and is just north of the Cascade Lakes Highway (Highway 46) about 16 miles from Bend. The higher elevation of the Swampy Lakes Area typically offers better snow conditions than Virginia Meissner Area, yet is better protected in stormy weather than areas higher and nearer Mount Bachelor. During weekends and holidays the Mount Bachelor highway traffic can be very heavy and it is helpful to get out of the traffic sooner than driving in traffic all the way to the Bachelor Nordic Center.

The only disadvantage of the Swampy Lakes Area is that it is closed to dogs. But Linda and I often take our dogs Joey and Chico with us to the nearby Wanoga Snow Play Area and ski with the dogs around a groomed ski trail.

Linda skiing up Vista Butte

My favorite trail combinations in the Swampy Lakes Area this past ski season were the Swede Ridge Loop, the Swampy-Flagline-Flagline Tie-Butte-Ridge-Beginner trail loop, and the out and back up Vista Butte via the Ridge and Butte trails. The Nordeen Loop was also fun, but that route can experience more traffic. One can combine some of these to make longer ski outings, as well.

Paul on the Vista Butte Summit with his new Ski Gear

This season I augmented my Fischer Mountain E99 Crown ski, Alpina NNN BC ski boot combination with a Madshus Epoch ski, Fischer BCX 6 ski boot combination. The shaped Madshus Epoch ski and stiffer Fischer boot provided me much more turning capability than the Fischer E99 ski and Alpina boot. I particularly enjoyed carving turns in powder down the forested slopes of Vista Butte.

The Madshus ski and Fischer boot do require more energy to break trail than does the narrower Fischer ski and more flexible Alpina boot, but the combination is lighter and easier to tour in than is a typical telemark ski/boot combination. But if I should repeat the long ski tour around Crater Lake next season I will likely use my old E99 skis and Alpina boots for it again.

Indian Creek Butte and Pine Creek Mountain from 'Roads End'

In addition to it being the Labor Day Weekend, there was a muzzleloader hunt in progress in the area. I expected to see several hikers or hunters on or near the trails. However, although I saw two other vehicles parked at the Meadow Fork Trailhead on Saturday I only saw one man and his two sons on the trail that day. On Sunday I saw two or three other vehicles parked at the Roads End Trailhead but saw no one on the Indian Creek Access, Pine Creek, or Canyon Mountain Trails that day. On Monday I saw no other vehicles parked at the Joaquin Miller Trailhead, but did hear one person just off the Joaquin Miller Trail apparently prospecting along a cliff.

Of course, hunters may have observed me, but I felt a significant sense of solitude those three days. I am sure my solitude would have been magnified even more had I camped overnight along any of those trails. Although one can see evidence of development in the valleys outside the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness, the Strawberry Range appears to offer a genuine wilderness experience for those avoiding the heavily used Strawberry Basin trails.

Oct. 3, 1921 – March 1, 2011

Gene McClellan was my father’s older half-brother who he grew up with until Gene left for service in World War II. Gene seemed to me to be a connection to my deceased father and grandfather, and helped me better remember what their lives were like and what their perspectives might have been were they still living.

Grandfather, Father, and Gene McClellan at Father's Wedding (1951)

The following is the obituary as published in the Statesman Journal newspaper (Salem, Oregon):

Gene's Gravesite Service

Gene McClellan was born to Paul and Genevieve McClellan in the North Santiam area on the 3^rd of October, 1921.  He passed away on March 1^st at his home in Gates at the age of 89.  Gene lived in West Stayton before moving to Gates in 1960.  He began working in the logging industry before going to work for Santiam Cable Vision.  Gene served as Superintendent for the City of Gates Water Department and retired in 1987 after 30 years.  He enjoyed fishing, hunting and reading.  He honorably served his country in the US Army during WWII.

He is survived by his daughters, Debra Christianson of California, Janet Curtis of Stayton; grandchildren, Paula, Joshua, Jodi and Jeremy and seven great grandchildren.  He was preceded in death by his grandson, Joe.

Graveside service with military honors will be at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Salem on Monday, March 7^th at 2:00 pm.

A gathering will follow at the family  home.

Arrangements entrusted to Weddle Funeral Services.

Online condolences to Weddle-Funeral.com