Day 2.
Having resisted the temptation to succumb to buying me some cowboy boots, (might clash with my outfit), we head out early for the Pole Creek trailhead, after a hearty breakfast at “The Gallery” in town, and start out towards Camp Lake, our destination for tonight. The first 4 miles, or so, were snow free, but around 12:30pm, we ran into snow. For the remainder of the trip, except for the last day, it would be our constant companion.
…They shouted out at us, if we had a good map, or knew the way? We shouted back, “better! We’ve got GPS, and Greg’s on the trail like a bloodhound!” …
It was around this time, that a couple that had headed up the trail in front of us, had lost the trail, and they were making circles, trying to pick up where the trail had gone. They shouted out at us, if we had a good map, or knew the way? We shouted back, “better! We’ve got GPS, and Greg’s on the trail like a bloodhound!” …Or, something like that…They fell in behind us, keeping us in their sight, the rest of the way to the lake. I was just hoping, though, that we weren’t in their sight the WHOLE way, as on one particularly steep snow field, I had the chance to practice self arrest, and it was not the most coordinated effort put forth to date…There might have been some yelling involved, I don’t know…I will say, though, that the melting snow on my backside was a welcome cooling from the sun.
…They were all gnarled, and twisted, and from the direction of the lean, it was pretty evident which direction the wind prevailed from.
We arrived at Camp Lake around 2:30pm, and quickly tried to find a spot to hunker down. It was a beautiful location, the lake rested at the base of the saddle between the South and Middle Sisters, surrounded by some very windblown pine trees. They were all gnarled, and twisted, and from the direction of the lean, it was pretty evident which direction the wind prevailed from. The same direction it was howling from now, so it was critical to find a spot that provided some relief from it.
At first, because of the backpacks claiming spots, it seemed all the good ones had been taken, and we would be forced to set up tent in an area not unlike a wind tunnel. Thankfully, this was not the case, and the guys that had dropped their packs off, ran over and moved them, so we took a spot that looked like a little parapet, a rock wall about 3 feet high in a semi-circle, to help break the wind. Obviously, this was not the first time the wind raced down from the saddle, and across the lake, unchecked.
After setting up camp, we walk around the lake, taking pictures of this beautiful area, and end up at the western edge of the lake, which has a large section of the snow field at its edge. As we are standing on a firm section of it, a huge chunk gives way, and crashes into the lake, sending ripples out across its surface.
Imagine dropping your VW bug into the lake from about 10 feet up…Yeah, it was like that…
It would continue to calve off large chunks throughout the day and night, startling me out of sleep more than once, as it sounded like ten bull elephants hitting the water, after a 3 day march without water. Imagine dropping your VW bug into the lake from about 10 feet up…Yeah, it was like that…Thankfully, by nightfall, the wind subsided, and we were able to get some sunset shots of South Sister reflecting off of the surface of the lake.
The 46-mile circuit of trails around the third-, fourth- and fifth-highest peaks in the state is one of Oregon’s great multinight backpacking opportunities — and one that gives you plenty of those in-your-face views.
Yes, wish we had more opportunity to hike in Oregon, there are some beautiful places to see! Thanks for the comment!
The trail around Mount Hood is officially impassable at Eliot Creek, so the Three Sisters hike is a good alternative.
Excellent info, thank you for sharing this!
Three night backpack – camp at Camp Creek Trail junction, Moraine Lake, and a little beyond Sisters Spring.
Thanks for the info!