South Sister

The Three Sisters are a group of Volcanos in the Central Oregon Cascades. They are a prominent feature of Central Oregon along with Mt. Bachelor and Broken Top. The South Sister is the largest, tallest, and youngest of the three. At 10,358 ft the South Sister is the third tallest mountain in Oregon. Climbing the South Sister is a non-technical hike to the summit. It is probably the easiest climb of any of the major Oregon Cascade volcanos. It requires a fair amount of stamina, a high tolerance for scree, and most of a day. The Devil's Lake route is over 12 miles long and features an elevation gain of over 5000 feet. I climbed it October 3, 2009, we had perfect weather and it was before the first snows of the season. The first photo is of the approach about 2 miles from the trailhead. The second photo is looking up at the summit from the base of the Lewis Glacier at about 8800 feet. The third photo is of the summit crater. The fourth photo is the view to the north from the summit, you can see the Middle Sister, North Sister, Three Finger Jack, Mt. Jefferson, and Mt. Hood. The last photo the view to the southwest, you can see a lava field and it is hazy in the south because of forest fires.

Ramona Falls

The hike to Ramona Falls crosses the Sandy River and joins the PCT. A substantial amount of the hike is a loop, which has a beautiful rock wall on the north part of the loop and the south trail is a cliff above the Sandy.

Mill Creek Wilderness - Ochoco NF

These photos are from the Ochoco National Forest in Central Oregon. The first is of Steins pillar, the second of the forest, and the last is of the twin pillars. We went over Memorial Day Weekend which seems to be a perfect time to visit the Ochocos. The weather was mild, things were still green, and there weren't too many people around.

Burnt Lake

Burnt Lake is on the west side of Mt. Hood above the Zigzag area. I hiked up to the lake via the North Burnt Lake Trail No. 772. It was a moderate 4 miles or so up to the lake. The views from the lake of Mt. Hood are beautiful. The lake was warm enough to swim in, I went across and back but the bugs were out in full force.

Mt. Jefferson Viewed From Triangulation Peak

I haven't posted in a while (not that anyone pays attention anyway), these pics are from Triangulation Peak, west of Mt. Jefferson. The first is Mt. Jefferson in October before the winter shows. The second is Three Fingered Jack to the south. 

Abiqua and Butte Creek Falls

Yesterday, I hiked to Abiqua and Butte Creek Falls outside of Scotts Mills. Abiqua Falls is in a canyon with an unmarked trial, which leads to the almost fully enclosed waterfall. We took the wrong trail on the way down. A consequence of this was me sliding about half-way down the muddy cliff on my rear end.  Butte Creek Falls are much more accessable and on a 1.5 mile loop. The first picture is the upper falls and the second the lower falls. 

Silver Creek Falls

For anyone who lives in Western Oregon or any who visit, Silver Creek Falls State Park is a place you must see. It is a canyon with ten waterfalls which you can hike in a loop.  Here is a link to the Oregon State Parks website.