Mt. Hood Snowshoe Adventure
While I’m not a mountaineer or skier, I love getting up into the mountains in the winter as much as the next person. I’m always up for a good winter adventure so I jumped at the chance to stay in a secluded cabin on Mt. Hood when a friend scored one.
Don’t let the smiles fool you, the hike up was intense. It was 3 miles of breaking trail carrying heavy packs, full of wine and other important stuff for glamping, in 50 mph winds. Glad I recently invested in goggles. I basically used all the cold weather gear I owned.
We made it to the cabin as the sun started to set. Hmm, the front door is buried…
The winter entrance to the cabin is through a door in the second story. The combo lock was frozen and the numbers wouldn’t move at all. Luckily we had a lighter and after a few minutes of warming the numbers started to turn so we could dial in the combo. But then when we pulled the lock nothing happened. Not only were the numbers frozen but the locking mechanism was as well. Out came the lighter again and after a few minutes and some choice words it opened. Victory was ours! Now we had to warm the icebox up.
Photo: Wim Aarts
After building a fire and making a custom beer storage area we settled in for the night. Nothing inspires good conversation like a hard day and a fire. Countless stories were spun over the course of the night. Some of them might even have been true.
When we woke the next morning the skies were clear and the mountain was glorious. No clouds and no wind, it was going to be a perfect day.
It truly was a fantastic day. We took our time stopping often to stare in awe and snap a picture.
After a good day we headed back down to the cabin to sit by the fire and talk about future adventures.