| I came out to the Steens looking for a snowy summit with reasonable accessibility from the road. I knew the Steens Loop road would be closed so I ruled that out, and I have no idea how to get to Beatys Butte without traveling to the blasted reaches of Oregon (aka Mordor, uh I mean Lakeview), so I settled on Alvord Peak which I had eyed in 2006 on a roadtrip to Fields. Although I didnt get a chance to break out my snowshoes, I did enjoy the quietest hike I have experienced yet. Absolute isolation, quite an experience. Saw lots of deer, bighorns, eagles, jackrabbits, and coyotes. Pretty cool little ridgewalk. |
