A
HOT DATE WITH BIG SISTER
We
got up at 6am Wednesday, made a quick breakfast, and drove through Bend and on
up the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway. Along
the way we were thrilled by clear views of South Sister, Mount Bachelor, and
Broken Top. After a week of
marginal-to-terrible weather, it was great to finally see those mountains! Our patience had paid off – it was shaping up
to be an ideal day to climb South Sister Volcano.
We
parked at Laguna Diablo (Devil’s Lake) and started our hike at 8:40. Based on recent reports, it sounded like we
wouldn’t need our ice axes, so we left them in the car. It was a cool but surprisingly sunny
morning. Our warmup was a 1,500’ climb
over 2 miles in heavy forest. Originally
we had intended to climb the mountain on a layover day during our backpacking
trip around the Three Sisters. That
would’ve spared us this stretch of trail.
Unfortunately, the weather hadn’t cooperated with that plan.
We
passed the trail connecting the Pacific Crest Trail and Moraine Lake an hour
later. We took a short break in a meadow
just beyond and contemplated the route ahead.
First up was a pleasant stroll through gently rolling terrain. Then the real climb began. We were on something of a trail most of the
way, though the route was indistinct at times in the rocks higher up. The views behind us, to the south, were
fantastic the whole way. Every few
minutes I’d look back to take in the view of Mount Bachelor and the vast
plateau of lakes, forests, and meadows beyond.
Off to the east was Broken Top, and the Coastal Range formed the western
horizon.
We
managed a steady pace along the rocky ridge.
There were quite a few small snowfields to cross, but the snow was soft
and it wasn’t hazardous. A bit later a
steep scramble up through some boulders brought us to our first false
summit. We had lunch there, next to a
lovely blue pond at the base of a glacier.
From
there we climbed steeply along the ridge separating the Lewis Glacier and the
Clark Glacier. This stretch was more
challenging, but there was still something of a trail, and the footing was
good. We reached the rim of the crater
early that afternoon. Here a vast snowfield
stretched out ahead of us. Buried
underneath it was the highest lake in Oregon, the Teardrop Pool. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see it due to
the lingering snow. We were also
surprised to find several campsites along here.
Hikers had erected rock shelters to clear the ground for tents and to
block the wind.
We
trudged across the snowfield and made the final climb to the summit, arriving
at 3pm. The view was staggering. Back to the south we looked out over the
snowfield we had crossed, towards Mount Bachelor and a lake-dotted plateau
beyond. Rows of mountains extended to
the west, leading into the Coastal Range.
To the east was another volcano, Broken Top,
and a vast expanse of desert. The best
view though, was to the north. A row of
snowy volcanoes marched away from us.
Immediately in front of us was Middle Sister, towering above a snowy
basin of frozen lakes. Beyond was North
Sister, Three Fingered Jack, Mount Jefferson, Mount Hood, and Mount Rainier, in
Washington State. Back to the south were
six snow-capped mountains in the farthest distance. There aren’t many large mountains in southern
Oregon. I suspect one of those distant
peaks was Mount Shasta, in northern California.
If so, we could see all the way across Oregon.
Another
hiker on the summit told us that on exceptionally clear days you can see the
Pacific Ocean from there. If so, you can
literally see most of Oregon from the summit of South Sister.
Also
to the east was an intriguing crater with a broken top, surrounded by towering
pinnacles. I would’ve loved a closer
look, but getting to it would’ve been a major undertaking. Maybe next time….
The
summit was a hard place to leave, but after an hour we headed down. Back on the snowfield we stopped to make snow
angels. It seemed appropriate, since
temperatures were in the upper 90’s back home in Charlotte. The hike down was slow and tedious. We saw quite a few people heading up,
including one guy that was hiking barefoot (!) and several groups with camping
gear. Camping on top of South Sister
must be amazing in good weather.
We
make it back to the car at 8:30, 12 hours after we started. From there we drove into Bend. We headed straight to the Deschutes Brewery,
which was open and still serving food.
We enjoyed a fine meal and a couple of cold beers before heading back to
our tent at Tumalo State Park.
Back to Oregon.
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Please remember to Leave No Trace!