Backpacking in the Three Sisters Wilderness

Howdy! First off I guess I should let you all know that I don't actually live on the range. I live on a knoll. It's green in the winter and brown and green in the summer. However, I do live near the Cascade mountain range, and if you like adventure or the great outdoors, there are some very neat places on the eastern side of Oregon's Cascades.

As a matter of fact, I was out there in that part of the state just last weekend. My dad and I went on a father-son backpacking trip with the Valesanos, the Kents, and the McBrides. Was the hike a breeze? Uh...no. Without a doubt, I was glad to arrive at our point of destination closer to the base of North Sister...right before the sun went down behind it.

Once we got our tents up we went about getting our meals ready and filtering water from the nearby brook. After the meals, some of the guys built a fire and most of us ended up hanging around it. After all, it isn't all that warm after dark when you're about 7,000 feet up.


Being out there in the wilderness at night was amazing. Stars sparkled in the sky, the nearby brook was bubbling and when the wind blew it caused a whisper through the trees. Even the lights of a town far away to the east added to the scene. The whole thing was great.



But even on a backpacking trip its a good idea to get some sleep so we were getting in our tents, believe it or not, right around 9:00 p.m. Of course, that doesn't mean I actually went to sleep that early. On the contrary, I don't think I fell asleep until sometime during the 11 o'clock hour.


It was a restless sleep. A sleeping bag and a sleeping pad do not always make for the comfiest sleeping accommodations. Add this fact to the wind storm that raged through our camp during the middle of the night...wow, that was something else. I could feel the edges of the tent lifting off the ground near my feet.



The next morning when we got up we discovered that the majority of the brook was frozen over with ice. The possibility that the brook might freeze during the night was something I had not given much thought to. To me, the whole thing added more adventure to the backpacking adventure we were already on.




After breakfast and a time of reading and sharing Bible verses, we all stood up and headed south for a day expedition. The goal of several of us hikers was to get to a ridge where we hoped to be able to see all three Sisters. Up and down we hiked, over one ridge and down another. In one of the valleys between, we came upon a green meadow with a stream running through it. Ice still could be found here and there along its banks.


Eventually, we came to the final ridge. We split up into two groups, each group going up the steep slope from different routes. It was kind of like an unofficial competition to a certain point on the ridge.


As we hiked up among the lava rocks, clouds started slowly moving in. By the time we reached a good viewing point atop the ridge, clouds had covered much of South Sister. Middle Sister was entirely obstructed from view.


After walking along the ridge a bit more, Dad, Mr. Kent, and I decided that where we were was fine. There was no pressing need for us to go any higher. Mr. Valesano, Stephen, and Isaiah, who made up the other half of the group we were in, continued higher up the ridge and met with the rest of the guys.


The three of us hung out on the ridge waiting for the others. Ice crystals were blowing past us in the air. After awhile, we saw guys from both groups coming down along the top of the ridge towards us. A cloud loomed behind them, engulfing much of the mountain.






Once again, we split into two groups. The guys further up on the ridge went down from a point closer to where they already were. Dad, Mr. Kent and I went down the way we came...sort of. Due to my expert navigation skills, we actually started down the slope a little before the spot where we came up. The good news is, we all made it down alive and standing!



After everyone arrived at the base camp, we shouldered our packs and headed down the trail. A few hours later, Dad and I, along with the Kents and Valesanos, were sitting down to hamburgers, fries, shakes, and sodas in the classic, country town of Sisters. It was a good way to end a good hike!