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We invite you to take a trip with Oregon Peak
Adventures. You may sign-up by
email, call us at (877) 965-5100,
or use our secure form
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Greetings from Oregon,
We are back from Nepal and Cambodia, and are
enjoying the wonderful Indian Summer weather in
Oregon. Balmy, sunny days and cool crisp nights are
the perfect segue into winter. Winter means rain in
Portland and snow in the mountains and we are
looking forward to playing in the snow.
November and December are typically quiet times here
in the Northwest as the rain has come and the snow
has not; but any day it's not pouring is a good day
to hike. So if you're in the mood to get outside,
give us a call. that's 877 965-5100, by the way.
Our latest international trip was a great adventure.
Exceptionally heavy unseasonal rains in Nepal
impacted our plans to visit the villages of Nar and
Phu, due to the trail washing out in several places.
The bad weather also prevented us from summitting
Pisang Peak. Even so, the Annapurna region provided
us with amazing views of the mountains and
countryside, and villeages and special interactions
with the Nepalese people.
The teeming chaos of Kathmandu, the startling
remains of the ancient civilizations around
Kathmandu, and the blessed serenity of the Angkor
ruins in Siem Reap, Cambodia were outstanding
highlights. And, of course, sighting rhinos and the
other wild animals while riding elephants in Royal
Chitwan Park in Nepal also are never to be forgotten
experiences. I'll be posting a description of our
trip and photos on the website in the next couple of
weeks.
HEALTH FAIRS
We participated in a Health Fair for Letterman
Corporation and the BridgePedal Expo. We enjoyed
meeting all of you and talking about outdoor
adventures. We hope you enjoy the Newsletter.
Drawing winners for a $100 OPA gift certificate
were:
Leatherman - Kim Munden
BridgePedal - Dionne An-Yeung
Please get
in
touch and we will send you your gift
certificate. Congratulations.
Please continue for an overview of our upcoming
trips and activities.
We hope you can join us for your next adventure.
As
always, our intent is to send this newsletter only
to people who wish to receive it. If you don't want
it, please click the Unsubscribe link at the bottom
of this email. There you will also find a link which
allows you to send this eNews to a friend or
colleague. We invite you to take a trip with Oregon
Peak Adventures. You may sign-up by e-mailing us at
info@oregonpeakadventures.com, calling us at
(877) 965-5100, or using our
secure form.
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MT. ST. HELENS
Things are pretty quiet at Mt. St. Helens.
The low level of dome building continues and
there is almost always a steam plume coming
out of the crater. There is snow on the
mountain, but the road to the Climbers'
Bivouac is still open and we can climb the
Monitor Ridge Route. When the Climbers'
Bivouac road becomes impassable due to snow
accumulation, we will switch to the Swift
Creek and Butte Camp Routes. Bottom line,
anytime the weather and snow conditions are
reasonable, we can climb St. Helens.
Daily USGS updates are available at
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/MSH/CurrentActivity/.
We have successive photos of the dome on the
OPA Website .
Our next scheduled St. Helens climb is March
8-9, 2008 via the Butte
Camp Route. This includes an overnight
snow camp and optional orientations at
Portland Community College on March 4 or at
Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District on
March 5.
Please check the website
for 2008 scheduled St. Helens climbs. If you
want to climb on other dates, please let us
know and we'll arrange a climb for you
(weekdays only April 1 - October 31).
You can observe St. Helens at the
VolcanoCam and check the weather
forecast at the
National Weather Service.
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WINTER HIKES
Of course we hike in the winter. It
may be wet, but it's always invigorating and
sometimes it's even clear and breathtaking.
We have scheduled three hikes to the Pittock
Mansion in Portland's Forest park and one
Oregon Coast Capes trip for hiking with
hopes of seeing migrating whales.
PITTOCK MANSION
The Mansion was constructed in 1916 by Henry
Pittock, publisher of the Oregonian, member
of the first summit ascent party on Mt.
Hood, and founding member of the Mazamas
Mountaineering Club.
 During
the holidays it is specially decorated. This
year's theme is "A
Fairytale Christmas....The mansion will
be adorned with miles of garlands and bright
ribbons. Delightful vintage decorations,
toys, and antiques will be found
throughout."
Our hikes are scheduled for December 2, 15,
and 26. We'll pick-up about 11 AM and drive
to the beginning of the Wildwood Trail at
the Portland Zoo.
 We'll
hike two miles up to the Mansion and spend
about an hour touring and hike back down to
the Zoo. It's a great way to get out and
enjoy the day. The price is $30 for one
person and $20 per additional person. This
is a great adventure for the whole family,
office group, and for out-of-town visitors.
More information is
here.
WHALE WATCHING COAST HIKE
During December and January, gray, humpback,
and sperm whales make their annual
pilgrimages south from the chilly waters of
Alaska to their mating and birthing grounds
in warmer Baja California. Sounds tempting,
doesn't it? But, alas, instead of swimming
to Baja, we'll hike the
Capes on December 29.
Price: One person - $130, two persons - $90
each, 3-10 persons, $80 each. Includes
transportation, guide, and lunch. This will
be subject to weather conditions (high
winds, heavy seas and no visibility = not so
fun hiking). We can also do this trip
anytime you wish to go, given guide
availability. |
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DAYLIGHT & MOONLIGHT SNOWSHOE TRIPS
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 Soon
it will be time to go
snowshoeing!
It couldn't be easier since we provide
transportation, food, and snowshoes and
poles. Since you are walking on the snow
rather than in it, most hiking boots work
well, but we will rent you a pair for you if
you need them.
Besides day trips, we will once again offer
our highly popular
Moonlight
Snowshoe Trips. The full moon for
December through March falls on about the
20th of each month. Since the moonrise can
vary by an hour from day to day, we will
time our departures to Portland to optimize
our viewing times.
 .
We hope you can do a snowshoe trip with us
this winter. Snowshoeing is immediately fun
and is the perfect office group or family
outing. More information on the snowshoe
trips is at
http://www.oregonpeakadventures.com/winter.htm
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CATCH A RIDE TO TIMBERLINE SKI AREA
 I
plan to purchase a Weekday (Monday-Friday)
Plus ski pass to the Timberline Ski area on
Mt. Hood and my goal is to get up there as
often as I can. It's a great deal at $199
for the season and is good everyday after
the end of March (Price goes up $50 after
November 12).
If you would like to ride up, please send me
an
e-mail and I'll put you on a e-mail list
to let you know when I plan to go.
Price is $25 for one rider, $15 per person
for two or more. |
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TRIP SCHEDULE
Most of our scheduled trips
are posted on our website.
You can view the schedule by date or by trip. The
Schedule of climbs,
backpacking trips, and training activities is
updated through March 2008 on the Website.
If there is something specific you want to do,
please
let me know so we can put it on the summer
schedule.
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INTERNATIONAL TRIPS
We had great trips to South America and
Nepal/Cambodia this year.
For Spring 2008, I'm considering climbs of Mt. Blanc
and the Matterhorn plus a traverse of the Haute
Route that follows "glaciers, tarns, meadows, and
craggy mountain passes from Chamonix, France, to
Zermatt, Switzerland."
I will be researching providers and timing over the
next few weeks. If you think you might be interested
please
let me know. |
TIPS
THREE CUPS OF TEA
I met Greg Mortenson several years ago at an
American Alpine Club Annual Meeting in Seattle, WA.
He was doing something about schools in Pakistan
which sounded like a good thing, but I did not
follow-up with him. In 2006, Greg and Portland, OR,
writer David Oliver Relin wrote the book
Three
Cups of Tea. Warren, one of our group
members on the South America trip, hooked a copy
from a lodge on the Amazon and gave it to me. I
carried it home and have now actually read the book.
It is an outstanding book. Greg is building schools
in Pakistan through his organization called the
Central Asia
Institute.
I have made a donation and I urge you to read the
book and support his work.
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INTERESTED IN SETTING UP AN OUTING?
Please give us a call if you are interested in
setting up an outing for your work group or family.
We handle all the arrangements including
transportation and food at a reasonable price. If
you are coming to Portland for a conference or
convention, we would be delighted to set-up outings
for your attendees. Just let us know when.
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