Out of Reach

OR-242 is one of the most beautiful scenic drives in Oregon with trailheads that lead to some of the most incredible wilderness areas your feet can take you. In the winter though, the road is closed accessible only by snowmobile, skis, or if you are up for an incredible long day- snowshoes.

This day, a friend, her two dogs and I headed out on our skis with the goal of reaching the Dee Wright Observatory about 7 1/2 miles from the car one way. We left the lot at 10:30 and as the sun and temperature continued to rise we stopped several times in the first two miles to take off layers. Though it was only 37 degrees with thin light cloud coverage, at these higher elevations while Nordic skiing body temperatures quickly rise and with the added heat and light reflecting off the snow- 37 degrees can seem like summer!

As we got closer to the observatory, at times, it actually felt like we were descending and the thought of climbing back up began to haunt my mind. Did I bring enough food? Water? Will I have enough energy to make it back to the car? Skiing was a bit rough in the snowmobile tracks with ruts from their tracks consistently testing my balance and core strength. At 1:45 it had been 3 hours and 15 minutes and we still hadn’t reached our destination. We decided to turn back but were still grateful to be outside spending the day in this beautiful area sandwiched between two of Oregon’s most beautiful wilderness areas.

Within a 1/2 mile of turning back it was obvious we had indeed not been descending on our approach. But still, we continued to ski back to our starting point. About 1 hour and 15 minutes later when we were within a mile of the car, the Mt. Jefferson Snowmobile Club Sno-cat cruised on by. Damn. That would have made for some really easy skiing on the way back to the car. Faster that it already was. Probably the first time ever I have regretted turning back before I reached my destination. Mother Nature has continued to deliver many storms since this day and I have confidence that in the coming weeks, I will be able to reach my destination.