Middle Sister Climb

We climbed South Sister a year or two prior and had always planned to come back and climb Middle Sister. In 2002 Todd, Dan and I set off for the Three Sisters Wilderness in the heart of the Oregon Cascades. It was your typical beautiful August weather and proved to be a great trip. These early trips taught us some valuable lessons. The lesson from this trip and the one before it; cut down on the mileage. We frequently charged down the trail covering 15 to 20+ miles in a day. This coupled with the overly heavy packs we had at the time made for what came to be affectionately called "death marches." These were marginally enjoyable, exhausting hikes jammed into weekends. We saw some great places, such as Middle Sister and South Sister, but I found the experience to be lacking some of the enjoyment it should have had. Nonetheless, we had a good hike and climb.

Todd with South Sister in the background as we work our way to Middle Sister


We hiked into the saddle between South Sister and Middle Sister to make our first camp. It was a great location and one that I have revisited. We got up early the next morning with our sites set on summiting and hiking all the way back out.

Todd headed up Middle Sister with South Sister in the background


Because it was August, the snow had all melted and we were left with a climb over the biggest boulder field I have ever tried to cross.


Todd and Dan make their way up the boulder field


Dan and Todd push on with the Husband in the distance


The tough hike and climb took its tole on Dan and with the long hike out still waiting for us he chose to stop and wait for us to summit and come back. Todd and I continued on as quick as possible so Dan wouldn't be left on his own too long in the unforgiving sun.

Todd enjoying the views from the top of Middle Sister with the northern Oregon Cascades behind him.


The hike down and out was long, hot and exhausting which by itself was enough. Then they arrived. Mosquitos. We couldn't hike fast enough to get away. Bug spray was only marginally effective and our thin cotton shirts did little in the way of protection. We quickly headed down the trail back to the car.

The views were great and a trip I have since repeated. It's well worth the effort and is not a technical climb.

South Sister Climb: A Mountain Revisited

With yet again, another family reunion planned for central Oregon, Todd and I had decided to climb South Sister again. This time however, we would do it at night and be on the summit for sunrise. So, we packed up and headed to the Three Sisters Wilderness. This time we had looked at the map and found the correct trail head. While it was steeper, it provided a much faster route. We set out on the trail around 10:00 PM. I had just purchased a really nice headlamp so I did the route finding. Todd only had an LED headlamp, which is nice, just not for route finding. It was an interesting hike as we kept picking up the reflections of various animal eyes. We stopped several times to identify just what was looking at us. We were very aware of the possible encounter with a mountain lion and moved cautiously. As we climbed out onto Wickiup Plain, we found ourselves enveloped in a sea of fog. We ended up stopping briefly somewhere near Moraine Lake. As we began to climb the mountain, the trail became difficult to follow at times. But as we neared the summit, the sun was just beginning to provide some light easing our ascent.

Looking across at Broken Top at dawn.


Todd nears the top of South Sister.


The author near the top.


Looking back towards the car.


The summit was incredible. The sunrise really was worth the effort to do the climb at night.

Todd and I enjoying our view



Teardrop Pool was really interesting with its vivid blue color


After taking in the views and watching the sunrise, we worked our way down and back to the car. It was a great trip and well worth the effort.

Broken Top

South Sister Climb

With a family reunion scheduled for central Oregon and always looking to jam as much into our weekends as possible, Todd and I hatched a plan to climb South Sister. We would climb the third tallest peak in Oregon and then cruise into the reunion. With a little convincing, Dan was on board and the plan was set. We got up early and drove over to the trail head.



The plan was to drive over and hike in half way and camp. None of us had been in this area before and we hadn't done our homework. (Another lesson well learned) Consequently, we took the wrong trail and added several miles to the hike. We made camp near Moraine Lake.

Looking out across Wickiup Plain at South Sister


The next morning, we set out to summit South Sister and hike all the way out.


It was a cool climb. The last and steepest pitch begins at a small lake at the base of ridge that runs between the Lewis Glacier and the Clark Glacier.



At the time, the last pitch seemed exceedingly difficult, but looking back it really doesn't compare to some of the other climbs we've done.

Todd working his way up the last bit of the climb with Mt. Bachelor in the distance.


The summit provided some great views. This was our first significant climb and is the third highest peak in Oregon at 10,358'.

Todd and Dan at the summit with Middle Sister and North Sister the closest peaks.


Todd crouched on the rim overlooking the valley floor to the east.


The author taking in the view with Broken Top as a backdrop


After spending some considerable time on top, we headed down to the car.

Todd and Dan making the descent from the summit.


The return hike was great until about the last mile when we were attacked by mosquitos. This quickened our pace and provided another lesson. Bring bug spray.
Overall, it was a great hike and kept us away from the reunion where Todd and I knew very few of the relatives and Dan didn't know any.