One dozen strong, our family group recently spent four days at Timothy Lake near Mt. Hood. High on the agenda was picking huckleberries – a notable tradition of our clan. The first two days we focused on collecting as many of those flavor-packed little treats as possible. The nearby geocaches showing on my GPS receiver screen were not going unnoticed however. I would get to those soon enough.

One geocache in particular was high on my agenda….quite literally. It was a cache called “High Rocks” located about a 20 minute drive from the campground. It was placed on the site of old fire lookout, long since removed. As one would expect, these locations frequently provide the most stunning forest panorama’s. One afternoon, with berry picking concluded for the day, I took off to check out the view and hunt the geocache. I was not disappointed – the high rocky crag yielded a crystal clear view north to Mt. Hood and south to Mt. Jefferson with hints of The Sisters as well. Finding the geocache was anticlimactic to the gorgeous scenery but fun nonetheless.

Next on my geo-agenda was a cache place near and named after Little Crater Lake, a much smaller version of it’s big brother to the south. Nestled in a meadow at the end of a long arm northeast of Timothy Lake, this “lake” is a very small pond with eerie blue water so clear you can easily see to the bottom – 30 feet down with nearly vertical sides – and COLD! The water is 34 degrees and comes from an artesian spring. Found the geocache a short distance off a nearby trail – again, anticlimactic to the view before me!

There were other caches along the 13-mile trail around Timothy Lake but time did not permit hunting more than just a couple more. Also disappointing was not finding time to walk parts of the Pacific Crest Trail which passes right next to the lake. Another time I guess.

One evening as the sun was setting I managed to talk my wife into trying her hand at kayaking. She really enjoyed it – think we’ll have our own soon! Picking early evening with the orange hues of a setting sun on a smooth lake surface along with a view of Mt. Hood might have had something to do with it!

Mike Davidson is a career forester and an outdoor enthusiast who uses the high-tech treasure hunting game of geocaching to lead him to the great variety of outdoor experiences in Oregon. Keep up with his latest hiking and geocaching excursions on his Geocaching Oregon blog. You can also follow him on Twitter.

Towering 10,497 feet (3,199 m) and second in size to Mt. Hood, lofty Mt. Jefferson adds to the spectacular northern Cascades with its jagged ridge line and clinging glaciers. I’ve camped and backpacked along the outer flanks of this mountain, but never gotten within an arm’s length of this peak before. So when Brad, my husband, suggested a backpacking trip into Jefferson Park, I was game. From the description in William Sullivan’s “100 Hikes in Oregon’s Central Cascades” book, it sounded just like right opportunity to get to know Mt. Jefferson a little better.

With temperatures in the Portland area hovering around a withering 100 degrees, we got off to an early start, hoping to beat the heat. But as we took Highway 22 around Detroit Lake, the temperatures started climbing at an alarming rate. By the time we turned off on Whitewater Road to venture 7.5 miles to the Whitewater Trail parking lot, it was sweltering. We had loaded up on Gatorade and watered the dogs, so we were about as hydrated as we could be. Off we went!

In what would otherwise in cooler conditions be an easy looping ramble for 5.1 miles up to Jefferson Park, the trek ended up being a little hotter than we planned. Fortunately, Whitewater Creek afforded a great liquid break about 4.0 miles into the hike, and we gratefully plunged ourselves into the icy waters to cool off and refresh (dogs and humans). Then, it was another 1.1 miles to our camping destination.

As we looped around from one ridge line to another through a saddle pass, Mt. Jefferson came into view, dominating the entire eastern horizon. No other ridges stood in our way, so it was almost an ethereal feeling to have such a huge mountain above and open air below. We crept our way through some open rock debris fields, the heat shimmering across the boulders. Yikes, it was hot!

But many wildflowers stood undeterred by such oven-like temperatures. Amazing lilies, somehow surviving the hot temperatures, permeated the air with a heavenly scent. (Later, I wasn’t able to identify this plant on my own, and availed myself upon the resources of the Native Plant Society of Oregon who identified the lily as lilium washingtonianum, whose mountainous range, ironically, doesn’t quite make it to Washington state!)

As we climbed a little higher, we finally dropped onto a plateau. We had arrived in Jefferson Park! We crossed a small bridge over a stream fueled by snow melt, gave the dogs some water, and started up our final hill which hugged the mountain stream, gurgling merrily to our right.

Once we reached the top, we were greeted with a crisscross of trails heading left and straight, leading to a series of at least five to ten hidden lakes. Citing heat exhaustion, we opted for the easiest and closest spot. This area is considered one of the gems of the Detroit Ranger District, and strict regulations govern camping activities up in this area. No fires were permitted, which is why we brought our little backpacking stove, and we could only camp in designated spots to reduce the damage to the fragile alpine meadow caused by trampling boots.

I rested while Brad scouted the area, and he found a nice spot on a hill top overlooking Scout Lake. At that point, we were parched from thirst and ravenous from our hike. You’d be surprised at how many calories you burn hiking 5.1 miles with 50 pounds on your back in 100 degree heat. It made me appreciate what the soldiers in Iraq have to deal with every day, as a salute to these servicemen and women!

Brad went to work setting up shelter (man make shelter!) and I started on heating up a freeze-dried dinner. It felt a little silly heating up food on such a hot day, but at that point, any kind of food was starting to sound good! Too bad I was too worn out from the hike to manage a pathetic stumble down the hill to the water’s edge. A swim sounded delightful, but I didn’t want to pollute the water with the abundant sunscreen and insect repellent I had liberally applied to myself.

Speaking of which, before long, the local residents had also found us and decided to join us for a snack. The snack, being, of course, us. The mosquitoes must have radioed their cousins from miles away, because over the course of probably 20 minutes, we were swarmed. Thankfully, I had brought a mosquito tent and put the dogs under its protective enclosure. I’m not sure, but I could swear that both Buddy and Timmy looked completely grateful to get away from those biting menaces!

After dinner, Brad joined the dogs in the mosquito tent and I went inside our sleeping tent for a respite from the hordes of whining insects outside. Quietly, we laid there, and each watched thunderheads form right above us. Our location was perched right at the point in the Cascade Mountains that the heat and moisture came together to form the thunderstorms that would roll down into Eastern Oregon. I got one picture of a tiny cloud that wasn’t big in circumference, but ballooned thousands of feet upwards. It was the smallest thunderstorm I’d ever seen. We also watched the sun set over Mt. Jefferson, and took in the silence and peace of such a magnificent place. Risking more bites, I dashed outside the tent to grab some sunset photos of the mountain before darkness set in.

With temperatures forecast to be in the high 90’s, we decided to head back out the following day. The mosquitoes hadn’t really disappeared, so that meant mobility was limited. The only activities we could really engage in were swimming then making a mad dash to the mosquito tent to dry off. That morning, I was better prepared to take photos on the way back, and got some good pictures of sunrise over Jefferson Park. The views were breathtaking, as were the wildflowers.

At one point, we did hear a couple of large ‘booms’ and what sounded like thunder, but they were actually rocks falling off of Mt. Jefferson, probably loosened by the melting glaciers and snow. The rumble lasted for about 15 seconds and then you could hear the boulder cracking its way down the steep slopes. Fortunately, there was a long drop below us, so we weren’t in any danger of getting crushed!

On our way back down in the morning, Brad and the dogs were ahead on the trail, when I happened to glance across the melt water creek and saw something moving. I peered across, and I could tell that the animal was in the weasel family by the shape. It was on the far bank of the creek, making its way down. But the dogs and Brad walking down the trail startled it, and it made its way back up the bank, moving back and forth agitatedly. I stopped, and let the other get ahead. Something told me that the animal was going to cross the creek, so I crept forward silently, camera at the ready.

Sure enough, within a few seconds, the creature bounded in the thicket of trees not 20 feet away from me. Slow reflexes and an even slower camera shutter prevented me from getting a good shot of what turned out to be a fisher, a relative of the weasel family. It was very exciting, and definitely worth the additional mosquito bites I suffered from standing there!

The final trek back was fairly uneventful, albeit hot. We ran into a Forest Service Ranger who was heading up for a three night-stint to patrol the area… armed with natural insect repellent. We wished her luck. Also along the trail, we passed a National Forest Service trail crew who were doing maintenance on the path. Just as a side note here, I absolutely have to give a shout-out to these amazing people who keep our trails in such awesome shape. They had even cut through a giant tree which had fallen over the path sometime this winter… on the way up, Brad and I had to lay ourselves the top of it in order to boost ourselves over. What a pain. But on the way back down, we walked right through the gap that they had cut. Now that was hard work!! So, thanks, guys and gals!!

Needless to say, by the time we arrived at the car, everyone was parched and the first order of business was getting water into us to cool down. Thirst slaked and air conditioning on ‘high’ – we headed home, grateful for the amazing experience that we just had!

I talk to myself all the time but take solace in the fact many do the same. It started freaking me out when I heard “Let me out of here man” while recently climbing Mount Hood. Let me start at the beginning of this story so you understand I am not fresh out of the asylum.

Seven years ago my lady and I gnome napped for the first time from an abandoned home. Enjoying the adventure we began ‘gnoming’ friends and clients by leaving, instead of taking, these lucky little guys. For the last three years she has been telling me to take Mookie the gnome on a summit trip. The reason it took me so long is the thing weighed ten pounds. So after years of this looming over my head I decided to make it happen while enjoying all the cool places between Portland and Mount Hood.

The adventure began at 9.30pm at one of my favorite restaurants and Portland icon, Le Bistro Montage Dinner consisted of their world famous green basil pesto mac and the best mojito in town to wash it down. The staff from Steve the bartender to Josh the owner, are all wonderful but take no bull from customers with the creed “the customer is not always right.” It must be because Montage is the late night place to go whether on the way to climb a mountain or stumbling out of a club with a new friend as they are open with a full menu till 4am on weekends.

With our bellies full we got on the road and as we were passing through Sandy around 11pm I could smell donuts in the air and sure enough there was a warm glow coming from Joe’s Donuts. The sign said closed but we decided to knock and as luck would have the proprietors, Sherry and her daughter Stephanie opened the door. I explained why we were bothering her and she was super kind while inviting us in to give us one of the best maple bars I have ever tasted. Joe’s has been around ever since I was a kid and a pit stop for true Oregon locals on the way up to the mountain.

On the road again we were coming through Government Camp and realized we were running early for our climb; so we decided to stop at the infamous Charlie’s Bar. Charlie’s has been a staple for the party crowd on Mount Hood since 1977. We were greeted with a smiling face by Mel the bartender while pouring us a pint of Ice Axe Ale from Mount Hood Brewery. Mel even smiled for a photo with the gnome before we got on the road to Timberline.

Mookie the gnome and I signed in at Timberline to obtain our Forestry Service permit to climb around 12.45am. The late hour along with all this food and drink started to make us a little sleepy before our climb and gave me second thoughts of continuing the adventure. Falling asleep in the parking lot started to seem like a better option than climbing until…

And, there you have it! Asit has completed his Foodie Stuff, Attractions and Your Choice categories. Stay tuned for the rest of his challenge!

What started off as a hectic, late for the mountain morning, was quickly remedied with six inches of new powder and the sun peaking through Sunday at Mt. Hood Meadows.  Haley went to her sixth ski lesson and they had her going down “Mercury” and “Apollo”.  Forty years ago those would have been references to NASA missions.  Today, it referred to the black diamond runs my eight year old daughter skied down during her “Snow Blaster” Lesson.

During her morning lesson, I disappeared up the express lift did a quick minute run down “Middle Fork” and “Show Off” to warm up and then spent the next two hours exploring the bowls.  Lunch with my daughter was hot cocoa, peanut butter and jelly and sliced apples…mmmmm.  Then off again.  This time I decided to follow along with Haley and her instructor, Rolando.  Afternoon had some great runs, smaller crowds, breaks in the clouds with a little sunshine.  Life is good.  Quick stop at “Joe’s” for a delicious maple bar on the way back home because we were too late to stop in the morning!

The gear is ready, the car is packed, and the family is excited to hit the slopes of Mount Hood to fulfill all their riding dreams.  You call the snow phone half way up to the mountain just to see how much powder you will be enjoying and in the most cheerful voice you hear “It is 32 degrees and snowing at the top and slightly misting at the bottom.” The smile turns into a clenched jaw and the Bob Marley playing on your stereo no longer sounds so ire.  What do you do?

Last holiday season we had two cars filled with family in a similar situation.  Turning around and taking a nap seemed to be the best solution but the look of disappointment on the young ones of the bunch stopped this from happening.  I decided to shift gears and rent cross-country gear and go out on a trail.  My lady being the brains of our dynamic duo suggested we rent snowshoes as she explained it is much easier to walk rather than balancing on cross-country skis.

The trails we could do started through my head: Trillium Lake, The Snowshoe Trail, Tea Cup Lake, Sahalie Falls Loop and my childhood favorite Ski Bowl West/Multorpor Lodge. We chose my old favorite for the simple reason that at the half way point, Multorpor Lodge, we could warm up and enjoy hot chocolate, cinnamon rolls, and french fries.

We stopped at Mountain Tracks, in Government Camp, and with the assistance of a great staff were on our way with snowshoes, boots, gators and poles.  The laughs started the moment we got on the snow and I pushed my lady over for making fun of my love of boy bands.  A few miles of snowshoeing, many hot chocolates and an endless memory of laughs later, we were singing Backstreet Boy songs on our way to a family dinner in Molalla.  The fact that all we could do over dinner was tell stories from our day and laugh made me realize that 32 degrees and snowing really is pretty fantastic.

The beautiful Mt. Hood

In honor of Oregon’s 150th birthday, our friend Terry Richard at the Oregonian has compiled a list of 150 places that every Oregonian should see in their lifetime. The list contains natural features – such as Mt. Hood,  but also man-made features are also included, like Timberline Lodge.

The full list will appear in the February 8 issue of The Sunday Oregonian. The list will also be featured on Terry’s OregonLive Blog over the next five days, separated by region. Check out the full schedule and let us know if you’ve traveled to, or plan to travel to any of his picks!

Where there is white, there will be black. Where there is cold, there will be hot. Where there is joy, there will always be pain. The Chinese call it yin and yang; one cannot appreciate or understand one without the other.

The reasons why people attempt to climb to the 11,239 foot summit of Mount Hood may vary, but the mountain really never changes. The mountain is always beautiful, majestic, and welcoming for your adventures. What is many times forgotten is that it can be an extremely dangerous place.

With two accidents already in January, Oregon dreamers have sadly been reminded again how quickly the mountains can humble even the best of us.

So why is it that we love the excitement of the mountains so much? Maybe we go to find this place we see in our dreams at night. It might be to fulfill our never ending desire to push past our mental and physical limits. It might be for man’s burning desire to explore the unknown. It might be in the need to live heroically. It might be for our quest of personal or spiritual enlightenment. It might be to find a simple sense of connection to this earth. It might be for the pure aesthetic beauty and solitude found in the mountains. Hopefully it will always be a combination of all these things.

When a fellow climber pays the ultimate price in the mountains the reason why no longer matters. What matters is that the memory of that person is immortalized in the hearts of all those who venture into the mountains in search of their perfect moment.

Keep dreaming…and climb safe.

Editor’s Note: Asit Rathod is from Hood River and is lucky to have reached the summit of Mt. Hood nearly 100 times. Read about his adventures here. For more information on climbing Mt. Hood, please visit Mazamas, a non-profit mountaineering education organization based in Portland. Photo Credits: Richard Hallman / FreelanceImaging.com.

Drew Jackson's Powder Alert

Welcome skiers and snowboarders to my blog for ski conditions and Oregon snow experiences!

This is your home for the latest updates on weather and snow forecasts tailored to skiers and snowboarders. My name is Drew Jackson… I grew up skiing in Oregon and after earning my meteorology degree from Penn State University, I now work for FOX 12 Oregon as a meteorologist and weather forecaster each weeknight on the 8 O’Clock News (on PDX-TV) and the 11 O’Clock News (on KPTV FOX 12). This is the first of many blogs that will be posted right here throughout the winter, so check back frequently!

I’m also excited to announce a new “Powder Alert” e-mail service this winter in partnership with Ski Oregon. Those who sign-up will receive e-mails from me on a situational basis (primarily when big snows are expected and prior to big skiing/boarding weekends & holidays). It’s completely free, and I’ll start sending them once the snow starts accumulating. To sign up, head to the Ski Oregon site and sign up at the bottom of the page so you don’t miss out on great upcoming conditions!

And speaking of accumulating snow… that happens to be the topic of this first blog post. Snow… specifically, how much is expected this winter… was one of the main topics of the 16th Annual “What will the winter be like?” meeting on Friday, October 24th. Sponsored by the Oregon Chapter of the American Meteorological Society, several of Oregon’s top climate forecasters boldly shared their predictions for the upcoming winter. Here are some of the details:

• The strong La Nina conditions (colder than average Pacific Ocean water from South America west to the central Pacific) have faded and more “neutral” conditions are now present. Most climate forecasters agree that conditions are expected to remain in the “neutral” (neither La Nina nor El Nino) range for this winter. Unfortunately, neutral winters are the toughest to predict because they can feature quite a bit of variety.
• One method of winter prediction that several forecasters use is called the “analog” forecasting method. With this method, forecasters analyze the current & recent-past conditions in the atmosphere & oceans and look for past years when similar conditions occurred. Here are the “analog” years to this year, according to two of the presenters, and the resulting snow situation in the Oregon Cascades:
  • 1955-1956 Huge snow winter… strong start in November, but nothing late in April/May
  • 1971-1972 Huge snow winter… strong start, big December & January, normal spring
  • 1974-1975 Huge snow winter… sluggish start, strong from December through April
  • 1975-1976 Huge snow winter… strong from start to finish
  • 1984-1985 Big snow winter… strong start, poor in January, then a strong finish
• All of the analog years feature big snow years… and most of the forecasters agreed that this winter is likely to have AT LEAST an AVERAGE amount of snow, with the scale tipped towards above-average snowfall.

In summary, it seems doubtful that a bummer snow year is headed our way. Instead, all indications are that we’ll again be blessed with plentiful snow. For additional information about this winter’s outlook, check out this website.

So… when will the season start? Unfortunately, that question is nearly impossible to answer. All it takes is for the weather regime to switch to pattern that brings in 2-3 cold storms… and the lifts will be turning shortly thereafter.

Until next time,

Drew Jackson
KPTV FOX 12 meteorologist

Editor’s Note: Drew is our newest blogger and will write about his experiences playing in Oregon’s snow. To subscribe to Drew’s snow alerts, please head to Ski Oregon and sign up at the bottom!

Sunrise over Crater Lake

Editor’s Note: Serena Becker and Jeramy Vallianos are avid hikers who work for Walk for Wildlands, a company that raises awareness for preserving the environment. Serena and Jeramy have also participated in a program that educated troubled teens in the wilderness of Scio, Silver Falls State Park etc. Read below to hear about their hiking experience on the Pacific Crest Trail:

Our first stop out of Ashland was one of the most incredible places in the world, I believe. Crater Lake. Massive, peaceful and breath-taking. We were able to spend a day walking along part of the rim of the lake and spent the night on a bluff overlooking it. In the morning we woke as the sun was rising. One of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever seen. The clouds quickly moved in though and the rest of the day was spent getting glimpses of the lake through the clouds as we stood in the frigid wind.

Mt. Jefferson

The wind rippling across the water combined with the clouds and sunlight trickling through created a surreal picture. It was hard to leave that place but the cold wind kept us moving. We hiked on towards Mt.Thielsen, tall, rocky and pointed. We decided against climbing it as it was covered in clouds and probably about 30 degrees on top.

As we approached Central Oregon I began to think back to my childhood spent at Waldo Lake in the summers and Odell Lake in the winters. The PCT hits the south shore of Odell lake and we spent and evening at Shelter Cove Resort. The next day we hiked up to Willamette Pass were Jeramy had been hoping to get some pizza for lunch at the ski lodge. Unfortunately they weren’t serving food that day and we had to resign ourselves to eating the same old tortilla and cheese wraps for lunch.

The PCT does not pass directly by Waldo lake so I was unable to go swimming at one of most beautiful lakes in Oregon. However it does pass by a myriad of smaller lakes just east of Waldo that I had never seen before, the three Rosary lakes, Bobby Lake and others that I can’t remember the names of. Our hike between Odell lake and Santiam Pass (Highway 20) also took us past the Three Sisters. WOW! I had never hiked near those mountains before, only seen them from a distance. What gorgeous mountains. South Sister with its red rocks we were able to catch the best views of. It turned out to be quite cold and stormy as we hiked passed the Sisters, but still absolutely amazing. We saw a rather large coyote carrying what appeared to be a rabbit in it’s mouth, a huge buck running across a meadow and a grey horned owl.

Mt. Hood

Luckily we made it down off the Sisters before the worst of the storm hit. As we descended toward McKenzie Pass, sleet and small snow flakes began to come down. We stopped by the Dee Wright Observatory and checked out the few mountains that weren’t immersed in clouds than pressed on through the lava fields and passed Mt. Washington. We were on a mission to meet my mom at Santiam Pass that evening. The cold aided us in getting there, as it was too chilly to stop for long. Just long enough to stop at the 2000 mile marker and celebrate! I told her we would be there at 7pm and we rolled in at 7:06 pm. It was such a blessing to see her there walking out on the trail to meet us. We went into Bend for the night, got warm, ate some good food and got cleaned up. As seems to happen often in town we ended up staying longer than expected. We visited with some friends who lived there and Tuesday evening (Sept. 2nd.) got back on the trail.

This last stretch in Oregon we hiked passed Three Fingered Jack, Mt.Jefferson and Mt. Hood. All three mountains that I have also seen from a distance but never up close. Jefferson still had quite a bit of snow on it and we hiked over snow banks for the first times since we left the Sierra’s way down in California. I imagine there will be more of that to come in Washington as it was such a big snow year. Unfortunately when the snow sticks around so too do the mosquito’s. And there were a surprising amount of them for the Cascades in late August.

Our hike between Jefferson and Hood was relaxing and warm. The sun had decided to show her face again and we’re hoping to have a few more of these days as we finish this amazing journey though Washington. We stopped at Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood. You may remember the outside of the lodge from the movie “The Shining”. The inside is even more incredible, built some time in the thirties and still looking very much the same. Our good friends Jody and Eli met us up there, brought our food box and hiked out with us for a night, we had a huge feast. It’s always wonderful to have friends join us out here.

From there we hiked around Mt. Hood than began our decent to the Columbia River gorge. Down we went walking along the ridge with the wind whipping by as the sun set. It was a warmish wind but it was strong and camping was minimal and not too appealing with tall trees swaying above us. So we walked later than usual until we found a semi flat spot out of the wind to sleep.

The next morning we hiked into the gorge and took a detour from the PCT, down the Eagle Creek Trail. One of the most astounding trail in the gorge. Countless enormous water falls, some over 100 ft. tall splashing down into huge clear blue pools below. The trail itself in unbelievable. It was literally blasted into the side of a vertical cliff so at times you are walking next to a ledge that drops off 100 or more feet into the water. They have installed a cable to hold onto as you walk the most dangerous part. And the tunnel blasted through the rock behind a waterfall! Amazing. If you ever have the chance, check it out. And with that to finish up Oregon we hiked into the small town of Cascade Locks, where the Bridge of the Gods spans the Columbia River. Soon we will walk over that bridge and begin the home stretch of our hike: Washington. Only 508 miles to go.

For more information on hiking in Oregon, please visit our Outdoor Recreation section.

Photo by Stephen Landau

Oregon is a strange, wonderful place. One minute, you’re sitting and enjoying coffee in one of the greatest cities on earth, Portland, Oregon. Less than 90 minutes later, you’re sitting and enjoying the view while riding up Cascade Express at Mt. Hood Meadows. This story is about those minutes. And like all stories, it started once upon a time.

Once upon a time, I looked east and saw the snowy peak of Mt. Hood. And I realized I wasn’t spending enough time there. What a shame, living in the shadow of the mountain, that we could never find the time to make the trip. So I decided to become the co-founder of a company which allowed me to say, “Let’s take the day off and go snowboarding.” Like I said, Oregon is a strange and wonderful place, the kind of place that enables dreamers to start a company based around the culture that sometimes it’s better to be on the slopes than in the office.

Photo by Stephen Landau

A year after starting this company, we decided it was about time we practiced what we preached about a results-only work environment (explained by Mavericks at Work). The company closed for the day, and with the sky a vibrant cobalt, we headed for the mountain. The drive was easy; the anticipation was the difficult part. Finally at the lodge, we grabbed our equipment, our lift tickets, and walked right up to the lift. No lines.

It was like that all day… empty runs, no waiting, no crowds… run after run after run. Sure, the snow was a little old (it hadn’t snowed in a few days). Yes, there were some icy spots on some of the more vertical terrain. But what would you rather be doing: dealing with work, or dealing with the fact that your legs are burning from so many consecutive runs?

Photo by Stephen Landau

And like all stories that start “once upon a time,” this story ends, “…and they lived happily ever after.” At least for this day. No one got hurt, everyone had a great time, and the pure enjoyment of one of Oregon’s outdoor wonders is reason enough to be happy.

I realize now this really isn’t so much a story about going snowboarding. It’s a story about embracing the opportunity of dreams. Sometimes you only realize it when you’re making big carves in the side of a mountain. And that’s why Oregon is great. There’s always a dream to be realized. The dream of empty runs, the dream of starting your own business, the dream of happily ever after.

The End.

P.S. Of course now that there’s been tons of snow dumped on Mt. Hood since our trip, we’re ready for Book 2 in this series.

—

About Stephen Landau: Stephen moved to Portland nine years ago for the microbrews, the proximity to mountains and the ocean, and a way of life. Since then, he has become the co-founder and Creative Director of Substance, a digital brand strategy and design studio located in Portland, Oregon.