3/11. Sunny, no clouds, warm, maybe 68°F (20°C). Daylight saving starts today, so I didn't want to make an early appointment. I woke up very early, as I went to bed very early yesterday. Had a leisurely morning, mopped the floor. Took the 11:25am train from my home (took a nap), and connected to SAM to Sandy and Mt Hood Express to Timberline Lodge. The afternoon sun was casting shadows of trees onto the bus, so I couldn't really read. I brought a book as well as my laptop for the long ride. Listened to podcast most of the way. The buses were fairly empty when I was on. Two kids had big suitcases on Mt Hood Express. Not sure where they came from.
The stop is at Wy'East Day Lodge. Quite busy when I arrived ~2:30pm. By the time I was all ready, and on to the slope (~3pm), the life had stopped. Almost no people. It's a pity that the lift ends so early, but it's good for me. I enjoyed the deserted slope. Took photos of the ice and plants.
The hike is straight forward. You can see the end of Palmer Lift when you start. Only about 2 mile ahead, but 2500' gain. The slope is fairly gentle, but steady. I kept on thinking that I reached highway point for an hour! The snow is soft today. I should have hiked up higher, but my phone battery died, so I wouldn't be able to judge the time. In fact my phone died when I was taking a photo of the building behind the end of the lift. It was just past 5pm. I turned around shortly. The weather was incredibly warm, but a bit of breeze to keep it cool. Really it's a beautiful and quiet slope. On the way down, I met a guy with a full pack, slowly skiing up. I asked him where would he camp. He pointed at the mountain, and mentioned some place ~9000'. Back to the lodge around 6:30pm. I know the time because I took my laptop to prepare for the wait. I could have hiked up another 30 minutes before heading back. There's WiFi in the day lodge. I was the only person there, other than 2 cleaners. Went outside to see the sunset. Around 7pm, Hood was bright pink. Jefferson was also beautiful. A pity that I couldn't take a photo. A car drove up, stopped to take a photo, and drove down. I couldn't get back to the lodge, so waited at the entrance. Picked up a couple of ski poles and put them together by the door. I think it's locked up at 7. Temperature dropped quickly, but not bad. ~7:30, the bus arrived. Going back down at 7:45pm. There were more passengers on this bus, some worked in Government Camp, and Ski Bowl, which is still running with lots of lights. All was smooth, got home a little past 11pm.
