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Sumpter Snowshoe Club
Sumpter Snowshoeing Adventures Snow in Sumpter isn't just for Snowmobilers anymore!
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 Sumpter Snowshoe Hike
New Years Day 2007
Sumpter Oregon
State Park Snowshoe Trail - 3 miles
Overcast skies shadowed our first hike of the new year as we hiked the Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge State Park Snowshoe Trails eventually reaching the Monighan-a historical Sumpter landmark. We began our first snowshoe hike of the new year at the entrance to the State Park-at the Sumpter Train Depot and Day Use Area and ended at the Sumpter Fairgrounds. This favorite hike among local snowshoers keeps us in Sumpter and yet takes us over three miles of natural habitat trails! Total time spent on this hike was approximately 2 hours.
The only sound that could be heard over our slightly heavy breathing is the distant hum of snowmobilers on the local Sumpter trails. This snowshoe trail briefly follows the Ridge Trail through the North end of the park to the Powder River. This will be our first glimpse of the dredge tailings across the river as well as a spectacular view of Mt. Ireland; a first of many breathtaking photo opportunities on this snowshoe trail!
We then closely follow the Powder River South through the park towards the Sumpter Gold Dredge and the Dredge Overlook Trail. At this point, we can choose to hike around the rear of the Dredge with a closeup view of the imposing Stacker Arm and on around to the front of the Dredge itself or........ We can choose the Overlook Trail which climbs slightly giving us a great view of the Dredge and taking us along side the Dredge to the most popular spot for photos. This trail eventually will lead us to the entrance of the Dredge and the Dredge Gift Shop and Museum. trail photos.......
Sumpter has long been well known as a winter playground for snowmobilers-and rightfully so! But Sumpter has a well-kept secret! SNOWSHOEING! We all know Snowshoeing has been around for thousands of years. And, has become more sophisticated over time - evolving from a necessary tool for surviving Eastern Oregon winters to a winter sport! And now, snowshoeing has garnered quite a following throughout the world. Modern day snowshoeing is made up of casual snowshoers who hike trails for pleasure, the snowshoeing enthusiasts who trek through the backcountry, and the competitors who race. Snowshoeing is the fastest growing winter sport in the world (snowboarding is growing fast too, but not fast enough), and is fastly becoming a mainstream winter sport. It is interesting how many involved in skiing, snowboarding, and cross-country skiing utilize snowshoes to participate in their respective sport but never make the jump from utility to pure, white powder enjoyment!
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