[moosefish]

I spent a week in Sun River with the family, in-laws, in-laws' in-laws, and a million other people. Part of the deal was that I'd get to do a bunch of trips while I was down there. Chief Paulina, a Central Oregon resident, took me up Paulina Peak on the 28th. (Fitting, huh?) In spite of the snowmobiles it was an incredible trip with dark blue skies, loads of snow, and 360 degree views. Well worth it even if you can drive to the summit in the summer. 14 miles, 2,440 feet of gain.

A full trip report (family-oriented) is here. The next night I took my wife, her sister, and her husband (um... my sister-in-law's husband, not my wife's husband... this is getting confusing) out for a nightshoe. We picked the closest destination to Sun River and wound up at the Edison Sno-Park and had it all to ourselves. The snow was great and the route was great for beginners and interesting enough for me. We even had an owl pose for us in front of the moon.

More info is here. The final trip was a quick one up Tumalo Mountain right next to Mt. Bachelor. I took my father-in-law, brother-in-law, and his father. The weather could have been better, but we still got killer views of surrounding volcanos.

The rest of the photos and trip report can be found here. As a bonus, I took most of the family out for rides in the pulk. We had intended to do one more day trip with the whole family, but both of my kids were under the weater so we settled for an hour or two on the snow-covered golf course in back of the house.

All the gory details about the very challenging week with in-laws and kids are here. Overall, a great way to spend the week and a great couple of trips.

[Tazz]

very nice!!! some great images! looks like it was a bit windy atop of Paulina peak. Glad you could hook up with a NWHiker from E OR. !

[dicey]

Tumalo is a great ski trip. Was it windy up top? I think it's usually howling up there, but worth it for the sisters views

[moosefish]

It wasn't windy until we got to the summit itself. I was expecting more wind so I wasn't really bothered, but the others in my group (not really avid hikers) were chilled immediately and wanted to head down right away. As soon as we dropped down to the west side it was calm again. We went early and missed most of the other folks. We saw four skiers on the way up, but lots more as we were on the way down.

[Hiker Boy]

Very cool. Newberry has got to be one of my most fav spots in Oregon. How is the road access in winter?

[trailjunky]

Awesome moosefish, looked like a great time. It appears Oregon has a ton to offer the outdoorsman. I'll have to get down there one of these days. Great pics.

[jessbee]

Did you follow the snowmobile road all the way to the summit of Paulina Peak or was the hiking trail broken out? I was just up there on Dec. 22 (my trip report and photos) , bushwhacked the last 2 miles and couldn't find the summit before my turnaround time I got close, but I sure hope no one followed my route. Was gorgeous up there though!! Looks like you had the same bluebird day I did. Great report.

[MtnGoat]

Cute kidlings you got there! the sled picture is great.

[Chief Paulina]

That was a great trip indeed. Moosefish is the first NW Hiker I have met. It was good to get out for some exercise (plenty) and the scenery was fantastic. We took the road (snowmobile trail) from the lake to the top. The trail had not been broken, had deep snow and would have taken longer than we had. Although there were a lot of sounds and smells, the people were friendly and courteous. Many were giving Alpine skiiers a ride to the top, then picking them up down below for another run. I tried out my new camera, a Canon SD630. It is much lighter and convenient than my Pro 1, fitting in my pocket for easy access. None of the pictures trumped Moosefishes so I will not post pics this time. Maybe when I get better. Thanks for coming to CO. I'm glad you had a good time.

[MtnGoat]

Hey Chief, is it generally windy at the peak (Paulina) during the summer?

[Chief Paulina]

No Goat, you should know that the weather is perfect here in the summer. . You could expect the normal thunderstorms and breezes that are heat related but the weather conditions generally are perfect in the summer. Remember tho, summer doesn't begin til July in that area. You can drive to the top of Paulina Peak once the snow subsides. As you can see from the photos, you can get some incredible views.

[ActionBetty]

Gorgeous snow pics