Cross-country ski season continues to linger

Although the weather finally seems to be on a warmer trend, the snow is still six to eight feet deep at pass levels, which leaves a continuing window of opportunity for spring cross-country skiing. Lower-elevation trails are beginning to shed their snow, but the high elevations remain completely buried and are likely to remain so for some time.

It's easy for an outdoor enthusiast to feel conflicted during this overlap of seasons. Even though I've already enjoyed several hikes this spring, and I'm impatient for my favorite mountain destinations to open up, it's hard to overlook all the beautiful snow that's still out there.

So, this past week I temporarily set aside my hiking boots and donned my museum-quality cross-country gear again. For this most recent ski outing we headed for the Ray Benson Sno-Park near Hoodoo at Santiam Pass. The parking lot was bare but still surrounded on all sides by high walls of snow. Also of note was the fact that only two other vehicles were present in the parking lot, so there's not a lot of competition for these trails.

The Forest Service advises that sno parks are no longer being plowed for the season and recommends taking a snow shovel and chains to cope with unexpected problems in unplowed parking lots. This also means, however, that - with the departure of April - sno park permits are no longer required and you may ignore, with impunity, the signs demanding sno park permits.

After scaling the parking lot snow berm, we followed the blue diamond ski trail markers along some of the 21 miles of nordic trails that fan out from Ray Benson Sno Park. We encountered no other skiers and observed only one snowmobile in operation. The Mt. Jefferson Snowmobile Club maintains a very nice warming hut at Ray Benson.

In spite of the fact that the club's own website and maps warn of avalanche danger on the slopes of nearby Hayrick Butte, we could see numerous snowmobile tracks straight up the near-vertical walls of that Santiam Pass landmark. This gravity- and death-defying maneuver is termed highmarking.

According to the American Council of Snowmobile Associations, "highmarking accounts for more than 63 percent of the avalanche fatalities involving snowmobilers in North America." The Forest Service recommends sticking to low-profile, non-avalanche-prone terrain, especially if backcountry users are not equipped or trained for avalanche rescue.

Much of the area between Ray Benson Sno Park and Big Lake was burned about 40 years ago, and the forest profile is predominantly lodgepole pine. Still, we encountered some sizable firs and hemlocks that had staked out their own turf during the early years of regrowth. This regenerating forest offers hope for the eventual recovery of our other more recently burned forests; although it irritates me that I won't be around to appreciate it.

This is also a good time of year to view the exposed cavities known as tree wells that form beneath the outstretched branches of conifer trees in snow country. By late spring, many of these potential death traps are no longer filled with the loose, unconsolidated snow that can lead to suffocation. Still, many of the enormous pits remain to give mute testimony to the hidden dangers of the winter season.

Owing to the younger nature of this forest, the Forest Service's cautionary warning about winter blowdown of trees proved not to be an issue. In fact, when we looked around for a downed log to sit on for a lunch break, there was nothing to be found. If there is any potential lunch seating in the area, it was all buried several feet below us.

With the advent of spring, the cessation of sno park plowing, and the end of sno park permit requirements, this also means that the ski trails are no longer being maintained. Still as the snowpack consolidates, some good spring conditions are likely. Also, even though skiing at Hoodoo Mountain Resort is now closed for the season, their Nordic trails through U.S. Forest Service land are still accessible and, although also not groomed, can be expected to provide good skiing opportunities.

Cross country ski trails at Ray Benson Sno Park and Hoodoo are located on the south side of Santiam Pass, 21 miles west of Sisters on Highway 20.