Oh. My. Goodness.

Nuf said.

Winter afternoon near Baker Creek

Cloudy day but no rain and unusually warm at 50° F. The Saddle was crowded with cars so I headed down to the next turnout at Forest Rd 800. Even when tons of people are up at the Saddle, this road is usually quiet. That was true today as well--we met one lone hiker and that was it.

There are a lot of routes to choose from at this starting point. I wanted a relatively short walk today, though, so we did an out and back up the hill. The route (link here) follows 800 all the way from the gate until the road peters out into a trail. A couple of features on this walk make it especially nice. Baker Creek is a lovely spot especially with the beaver ponds and lots of running snow melt. This road also goes through a patch of big trees which are stately and awe inspiring. Finally, the road climbs 240 feet in elevation over a mile which can get the heart rate up some.

The mileage on this route is approximate. I drew it out using the satellite image and referring to the map and memory. The end point is what I'm least certain of--the road narrows and is blocked off becoming a trail at the top of the climb. There's a stand of big trees (mostly on the left) as you go out and you end facing a 20 or so year old clear cut stand. If the mileage is off, it's not by too much and it's a nice walk on a winter afternoon.

As far as the dogs are concerned, this is always a good walk. There are two creeks to soak in, lots of deer trails to investigate, and today a little snow remained up toward the top. The Puppy was in the mood to pick up sticks and carry them around between wrestling bouts with the Big Dog. The Big Dog enjoyed some bites of snow and chasing the Puppy. Truth be told, though, any day that includes a walk is a good day for dogs.

My Review of REI All Weather LED Cap - Men's

Originally submitted at REI

Combining the protection of a baseball cap with the illumination of a headlamp, this innovative REI cap is the perfect blend of fit and function!

REI All Weather LED Cap - Men's

Warm and toasty in the Pacific Northwest

By WomanWhoWalksWithDogs.blogspot.com from Corvallis, Oregon on 12/27/2008

 

5out of 5

Sizing: Feels true to size

Pros: Warm

Best Uses: Casual Wear, Hiking

Describe Yourself: Casual Adventurer

Bought this hat to keep my ears warm and keep the rain off during my daily walks with my dogs in Oregon's Coast Range. This hat is comfortable and keeps my ears warm without making me feel like my hearing is impaired. I like the reflective tape and the LED lights will come in handy for times when I need a little extra light or visibility.

(legalese)

Muddy Dogs!

But happy dogs after hiking in wet, snowy, icy, muddy conditions. I refer to this loop as Jackson Creek which is the road and creek that the first (and last) part runs along.

Left the house around 9 am and my car was the only one parked at the pull-off by the gate when I started out. Drizzly, 45° F. The snow along the beginning of the route is mostly melted and Jackson Creek is running strong.

I walk this route counter-clockwise proceeding up graveled Forest Rd 610. This means climbing the steepest part of the route first for an aerobic challenge as I go up 520 feet in elevation over three-quarters of a mile. Today's walk was complicated by icy snow beginning around 500 feet elevation. At the top, as the route follows the ridge, snow was still surprisingly deep in places.

In spite of the fact that I rarely meet anyone along this route, it's heavily used by horseback riders, mountain bikers, cross-country skiers, and hikers like me. That meant that there was a packed trail through the snow that had iced over. Dogs have traction devices on their feet. I have worn out hiking boots. I'm looking forward to getting those Stabilicers I ordered last night. As I slipped, slid, and cussed, the dogs ran and wrestled in the snow all the way up.

The first part of this loop runs through some fairly recent (<20 year old) clear cuts. Once you gain the top, though, it runs through some very nice forest with big trees. There's only one creek crossing that's on the northwest side of the loop at the bottom of a long hill. This creek just about dries up in summer. It was running hard today, though. Still, we were able to jump it without too much trouble and without getting too wet.

On the back side, the snow disappeared and getting down the hill was much more comfortable than going up. Nice walk for a total of 2.6 miles.

Inspiration

I recently found Daytum and got hooked on the idea of keeping up with some of my personal informatics. I walk with the dogs practically every day. This made me wonder: how many miles do I log in a year? To find out, I requested a Daytum beta account and began mapping my routes using G-Maps Pedometer. And then I wanted to journal it all.

When the good folks at Daytum create a widget, I'll post it in my sidebar. It's just for fun, but I'd really like to see just how many miles I can do. I'm not setting a goal for mileage. The goal is the daily walk. But I'm curious.

In the meantime, I find myself in the mood for a longer hike today. The weather is pretty unsettled. A strong, steady breeze is tickling the branch tips around the house the morning. Temps are in the mid-40's which is practically balmy but up on the Saddle, it'll be colder and quite a bit windier. Given yesterday's weather map, I'm thinking there was some overnight snow on top of freezing rain. That doesn't sound pretty. Maybe a lower elevation route would suit me better.

No matter where I go, I've got a new toy to hike with today. I bought a nifty new hat from REI. Flaps for toasty ears. Cool LED light for evening hikes--no more feeling around in people's yards to find poop!

Rain, rain, rain

Weather looked like this or worse all day. Upper elevations getting snow now but had freezing rain earlier. Yetch. To console myself, I ordered a pair of Stabilicers.

Post-Christmas Evening Jaunt

Family and fun activities kept me busy today so just a short loop around the neighborhood. We're between weather systems so it was a chilly, clear, starlit walk with lots of Christmas lights to admire. 34 deg and icy in spots.

Hiking in the Snow at McDonald Dunn College Forest

Today's hike took us on one of my favorite winter trails. We started at Oak Creek at the old Biological Station. Went out Patterson Road, then went up Extendo Trail. Extendo is great during the winter because it's off most people's radar. It's steep and can be really muddy in places. However, the deep snow along forest Rd 681 made the effort worthwhile. We walked the 3.8 mile loop shown above. To see the full map, go to this link.