Notes
BEST RUN EVER! This was in fact the most scenic, special run I've ever done in my life... I decided to go up to the Tillamook Forest for a snow run and I'm so glad I did!!! It was amazing. There was about 1-3 inches of snow on the ground on the trail depending on the elevation. The higher I got the more there was. It was still not hard at all to run in. It actually felt good and smooth under my feet and did not impede me. It was a clear & sunny day and the temperature was several degrees above freezing. It felt great outside to me, never felt cold at all. The sun was poking through the trees and would light up patches of sparkling snow along the trail. It was truly beautiful to run through. The streams were full and roaring along their snow covered banks. I had to stop many times just to take it all in and even re-ran a few really scenic segments just so I could burn it into my memory. The waterfall looked awesome too, at full capacity and cascading down the cliff side next to the trail. There were a few fallen trees I had to hurdle but nothing major. On my way to the Gales Creek/Storey Burn junction, I came across 2 new foot bridges that had been put in (right next to the single log bridges) . The reconstruction of the Gales Creek segment is underway! I ended up running about a quarter mile of the new gales creek segment but decided to turn back as I didn't want to add on too much to the run. One of my favorite parts was the segment of the trail past storey burn road. It had not been run on and I was literally blazing a trail through several inches of fresh, undisturbed snow! It was really neat to run through and I got rewarded with a nice mountain top viewpoint. I really wished a whole bunch of my friends and collegues could've experienced this run. It was incredible. This is Oregon Winter at it's best. It was perfection out there. Like heaven. I didn't want to finish the run. Now I'm stoked for the next snow...as long as it stays in the mountains and doesn't come down to home... :)