If you’re not from central Oregon, then you probably don’t know that we had approximately eleven days of winter in the 2025-2026 season (this may be a slight exaggeration).

Mt. Bachelor with not all that much snow

Those of you who know me well, know that I’m a Winter Woman. (I don’t think my friend who came up with this nickname meant it as a compliment, but that’s how I took it.)

It’s not that I like to be cold. It’s that I like the weather to be cold (and snowy) enough for the sheer pleasure of simmering a pot of chicken and wild rice soup on the back burner, lighting the fireplace, lighting a candle, wrapping up in a fuzzy hand-knitted shawl, sipping a chai latte, working through a writing assignment or a knitting project or a stack of books.

And of course, I like it to be cold and snowy enough to layer up and head outdoors to play.

So, with the Mt. Bachelor looking gloriously white, we decided to start off Friday Date Day with a snowshoeing expedition, even though we knew there wasn’t enough snow.

But who lets “no snow” stop them from snowshoeing? Not us, because all we needed to do was make a few minor adjustments.

Just grab the poles, the hiking boots, the trail mix, the water, and … leave the cumbersome snowshoes behind.

The snow park we chose was near the base of Mt. Bachelor—full of multiple twists and turns and loops and intersections with signage that leave one guessing which direction would be the most fun to take.

Because there was so little snow, and because we weren’t wearing snowshoes, we tried out a couple new trails and loops we’d never trekked before. And much fun was had during the five miles or so of exploring.

Got plans? But the circumstances aren’t exactly what you’d hoped for?

Make a few adjustments, follow through with your Plan B … or C … or W. And see where the trail takes you.

Dan and I scampered over and around the lava formations and went further into new territory than we’d ever been at this particular snow park. Because this time, our snowshoe trek was unencumbered by snowshoes.

It was Emma Chase who said:

Because the greatest part of a road trip isn’t arriving at your destination. It’s all the wild stuff that happens along the way.

Our destination—our Plan A—was to snowshoe. But the circumstances weren’t quite right. Which meant we had to improvise.

And honestly, the improvisation probably ended up being more fun than Plan A.