Three Sisters Wilderness
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I completed my 4 day hike in the Three Sisters Wilderness in Oregon's Cascades, but didn't make it all of the way around the loop due to logistical issues. I did ~46.5 miles in four days. The weather forecast called for 75F/45F and sunny weather, but we got 60F/35F and overcast, so we didn't get the great 50 mile views but we still enjoyed the lava flows, cinder fields, hemlock forests, rainbows, glaciers, and occasional views of peak or two. Andrew Skurka mentioned on his podcast that he thought this section of his Great Western Loop that this was the highlight of his trip up to that point.
I let my brother, who is at the lighter end of a traditional backpacker, carry my pack while I carrier his REI "Ultralight" pack for several miles. Although I'm not sure if I converted him to a true UL hiker, he did appreciate some of the options. We slepted under my Oware 8×10 Silnylon tarp, used Aqua Mira, and cooked with my brand new Caldera Cone. I was plenty warm with my Oware Bivy and Jacks R Better No Snivler quilt. I think I could have left my Mountain Hardwear down jacket at home and used my No Snivler around camp, but ti did make an awfully nice pillow.
I put my photos on flickr. You can get the captions by clicking on the center of the photo. While you are in flickr, you can search for some really good photos by better photographers, who have better cameras than me. Here's the link and a few photos from the trip.
(how do you make an embedded link??)
http://flickr.com/photos/tomclark1/sets/72157602580188376/
I really enjoy the geology and views. Here are a few photos from a previous trip when we hiked up South Sister frm Morraine Lake (and a very pretty one of Tear Drop Lake on the top of South Sister that I borrowed from someone online). These photos came out much better because of the beautiful Sept-Oct days that we had that trip and that are more typical for that time of year.
Here is a view on Obsidian Trail toward Belknap Crater, Mt. Washington and some other peaks.
The campsite above Morraine Lake (which is a common base camp for a South Sister approach) have FABULOUS views of South Sister and Broken Top at sunset).
Watching the shadows rise up Broken Top at sunset is really just sublime.
After breaking camp that morning, we had to backtrack a little across this little valley. Our campsite is in the stand of trees on the little hill /morraine The cool air from the night before had gotten trapped by the surrounding terrain (katabatic air , as discused by Ray Jardine in his Beyond Backpacking, pp. 224-225). You could actually feel the interface between the lower cool air and the warmer air above travel up your legs and arms as we hiked up the back side…very cool sensation!
This little lake is formed by the melt water of the Lewis Glacier on the shoulder of South Sister. You can barely see me along the botton right of the lake (look for the blue dot).
There is a great view at the top of South Sister in all directions. Someon has built up little bivuoac of the stones. I always thought sleeping up here to catch the sunrise would be fantastic in good weather. Apparantly, it's discouraged for obvious reasons, but allowed.
I borrowed this photo from someone. The pool was only partially visible when I was up there, but it's a beautiful sight to see this green-blue pool of water at the tip top of a volcano.
View toward the south on the way back down.
Tom,
Your Sisters trip report had us reminiscing our hike there in August 2005. We left the Pole Creek Trailhead on the eastern side and hiked past Camp and Chambers Lakes down to the PCT and continued west and lower into the wooded meadows and lakes. We tramped our way up friendly trails, past dirty glaciers, lunar land scapes, rock gardens and cooled our feet in crystal lakes, melt streams, and muddy bottomed creeks. Light blue lupine blooms billowed across entire fields as we decended from Chambers to the PCT. Bugs were few and life was good. I hope you enjoy a few of our shots.
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