Snow Hike in Chloride Flats

March 11, 2022

A sudden freak snowstorm blew in overnight. We hustled out of the house, hoping for a snow hike. We were aiming for Bear Mountain, but the road was a mess — slick and slippery mud — and at a hairpin turn, it turned to ice. We carefully backed up and found ourselves at the junction with Chloride Flats Road — an abandoned Forest Service road that has been on my list of many months, since it runs south and connects with the trails on the ridge behind our house.

Here, the snow was about four inches deep, so off we went!

Clouds of fresh snow clung to the trees, raining crystals with every puff of wind.

The Kneeling Nun with a mantle of snow.

I thought this road might be just a vague clearing in the forest, but it was well traveled, with plenty of up and down and some fine views of the town. At this point, we were only about three raven miles from our house.

By the time we returned to the truck, our footprints had disappeared, and the snow had turned to mud.