My days have been full, but if I don’t get outside now and then, I go a little stir-crazy. So I hiked to a new place called Mirror Lake, which sits at the base of Tom Dick and Harry Mountain. Isn’t that a great name for a peak?
Blogger friend LB had challenged me on facebook to post 5 black and white photos in 5 days, and once I was above the snow line, it was obvious that I was surrounded by black and white photos. Every photo in this post is in full color, but you wouldn’t always guess it, huh? The day was forecast to be mostly sunny, and that turned out to be true almost anywhere but over the peaks. I stayed at the top of the mountain for at least an hour, but the sun only teased me: a bright sunbeam here and there, a glimpse of blue sky overhead as a hole in the fog drifted past, but basically it was a snowy cloudy day.
And a brilliant day!
Conscious Engagement 
Oh my, I love the adorable little snowman. What a great hike and adventure.
Did you see I made him my facebook profile photo? Ha, ha. I loved this little twisted guy with the crazy sedge hair.
Winter wonderland. Who needs black and white when you have wood, snow and clouds on a Pacific NW day?
It was warmer at the trailhead, water dripping from trees down there. But as we hiked higher, the world turned white. I do love living in this place.
I am always driving by the Mt. Hood area on my sojourns north but have never stopped off to visit. Your photos of Tom, Dick and Harry are quite enticing. They would be worth a visit just for the name. Have you backpacked in the area? –Curt
Curt, I haven’t backpacked specifically on Mt. Hood, but a little bit across the river in Washington and then in the Mt. Jefferson area. I’ve only day-hiked and camped around Mt. Hood. It’s so close, I forget to think of it as a backpacking destination. I hear the view that I missed from Tom Dick and Harry is one of the best in the Mt. Hood region, so I have to go back. It’s a piece of cake trail: 1.5 miles to Mirror Lake from Hwy 26, and 3 miles to the mountain. (read: swarming with people in nice weather, and pretty busy on cold, snowy, cloudy days)
Sounds like the view would be worth it Crystal, although the crowds might get to me. There is that wilderness there though. An my experience is that five miles beyond the trailhead the number of people drop rapidly.:) Being that close to Portland, however, maybe not. –Curt
Wow – this is gorgeous! I’m a bit jealous you got out for a hike on a beautiful winter’s day.
You get out plenty of days when I don’t, so we make each other jealous! Thanks for stopping by, my friend. Weren’t we planning to meet and hike in the Gorge one of these days?
Was the snowman really there or did you make him?
What a fun addition to the hike!
Crystal, these photos are really, really wonderful.
I did not make him, Laurie. When I came down the trail in the afternoon – there he was! Such a wild looking little guy with a twisty smile, that makes me think he had some kind of prank up his sleeve.
I was totally looking for B&W photos all day, “seeing” things in black and white in my mind to try to decide whether to get the shot. You were certainly my inspiration that day.
Smiling 🙂