I wasn’t sure what to expect on this one. I knew I was supposed to be back in the Seattle area on Aug 27th but my reservation for the 3 Creeks Lake campground showed through the 28th. No facilities, no water…I wondered what the road would be like going to this 6500’ campground? Turns out the road was paved most of the way, with a short unpaved but not too bad section leading past the popular lake to the end of the road, the campground. Most of these limited sites are reserved, and it was cozy enough, nestled in the woods. I arrived in time to make dinner and relax and walk the road checking out the lake as the sun was setting. I had a map of the area and decided on an out and back, heading towards the west to hopefully catch views of the 3 Sisters. Much of this area was burned about 10 years ago; with anticipation of climbing South Sister early the next day with a 1 and a half hour drive to the trailhead, I didn’t want to expend too much energy.

I woke to no alarm, made breakfast, and started out at 8:45 AM with clear skies and cool temps. There is another campground (tents only) further down the lake and it looked to be full, with lots of vehicles parked along the road. The night before there was an airplane circling about the lake for quite some time. I ran into the crew that came in that prior evening and contained the small fire, as they were already packing up and egressing. Hard work indeed, and much appreciated. The remainder of my day was transiting the burn area, pretty in its own right. If not for the burn, the views to the mountains beyond would have been obscured. I crossed some bubbling creeks and took note of the regrowth started in the small firs that had started up in various stages of height. Not quite sure when to turn around, I came across a small tarn with a grassy knoll and decided to have a snack there. 7 miles in, it seemed appropriate to turn back so as not to trash out the bod too much for the next day. On the return I ran into a fair number of hikers, learning that these trails are quite popular and a number of loops are available. Although not shown on the map, there is a loop around Broken Top….a local told me about it. Still, at 28 miles, it would have been a long day. I settled on my 14er and got back to my inviting van early in the afternoon, but as I was talking to my neighbors and drinking a beer, an InReach message came in from my wife telling me I had to sign closing papers at 6 PM the next day in Seattle. So much for doing South Sister before heading that way. However, with the whole permit system here (3 Sisters, OR area) on hold this year and postponed until 2021, I may just come back in September and spend a few days more, including the climb of South Sister and whatever else pops up. Seems every new area I am hitting is as splendid as the last, and the 3 Sisters Wilderness surely rates a return.

*Contrasts in the Deschutes National Forest*

*Old signs being engulfed by tree growth*