It was the Fall of 2002 and we still had a week of vacation to "use
or lose". There was no way we were going to "lose" it
so when the opportunity to go on a hiking trip out near the Three Sisters
Wilderness area came along, we decided to grab it. That's how we found
ourselves going to Bend, Oregon with 9 other friends from our local
hiking club (Center Hiking
Club). The trip was already planned and all we had to do was follow
the leaders, Duncan and Nora. We used our frequent flyer miles from
Northwest Airlines and made our hotel reservations at the Bend
Riverside Motel. Since we didn't do any of the planning for the
trip, we didn't have any maps or info on the area. Therefore, the following
trip narrative may be a bit sketchy at times and some of the landmarks
are unnamed.
DAY 1 - The first day of hiking was at the Newberry
National Volcanic Monument. We car-pooled to the top of Paulina Peak
(7985 ft elev.). From there we got a great view of Paulina Lake (see
photo below).
From Paulina Peak we hiked down to Paulina Lake where we picked up
Paulina Creek and followed it downstream. Along the way, we passed by
the lovely Paulina Falls. Due to the draught conditions that year, the
trail was VERY dry and dusty.
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The 80 ft Paulina Falls. There are two falls, the one to
the left is just visible behind the green bush.
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The trail follows Paulina Creek through an area that had
been ravaged by a forest fire.
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DAY 2 - Today we hiked around Three Fingered
Jack (7841 ft elev.). It was our favorite hike of the trip. The
trail took us up to the base of Three Fingered Jack where we ate
our lunch in the shadow of the peak. Looking up at the surrounding
ridge we could see a stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)
and a small knob called Porcupine Peak. We bush-wacked our way
up the side of the ridge to the PCT where we made our way to Porcupine
Peak.
Below is a group shot of the 6 of us that made it to the top
of Porcupine Peak. (I'm behind the camera). Behind us in the far
distance is Mt. Jefferson (10,495 ft elev.)
Below that is a 360 degree panoramic shot of the view from the
top.
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The group on Porcupine Peak.
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Here we are hiking to the base of Three Fingered Jack
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A 360 degree panoramic view from the top
of Porcupine Peak. Click on the photo for a larger version (155k)
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On the way back to the trailhead from Porcupine Peak, we
passed by Wasco Lake. The trail descended from here down to
the shoreline where there were several nice shorefront campsites.
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DAY 3 - We played tourists on this day,
driving a few hours south of Bend to Crater Lake National Park.
The drive to Crater Lake is long and boring. There isn't much
along the way in terms of civilization.
Just as we approach Crater Lake we pass thru a pumice desert
(shown to the right), the remains of an eruption several thousand
years ago.
Below is a panoramic shot of the lake. You can click on the lake
photo for a larger version of the photo (91k).
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We were planning to take the boat ride on the lake, but due to the
schedule, we had about 2 hrs to wait so we did a quick short hike along
a section of the rim and stopped for a picnic lunch along the way. Below
is a shot of us all hiking along the rim trail.
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To take the boat ride you buy your ticket at a booth up on the
rim. Then it's a 1 mile hike down to the lake shore 700 feet below.
The boat ride is about 1-3/4 hrs long and takes you all around
the lake and will even drop you off at Wizard Island if you want.
A National Park Service Ranger describes the sights along the
way. The boats are open topped so you better bring some form of
sun protection.
To the right is a shot of the boat dock and tour boat. The tour
boat carries about 35 or more passengers at one time.
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Day 4 - Today we hiked the Obsidian
Flow Trail. This trail required a special permit from the Forest Service
since they were trying to limit the usage of the area. The trail starts
out meandering amongst a forest of tall pines. It then suddenly breaks
out into the open when you walk into a 30 foot high wall of lava flow.
The trail climbs the side of the lava flow and wanders around till it
finds its way down the other side. The trail then looped around an area
of open forest and meadows till you found your way back to the lava
flow. The forest floor of the entire loop area was littered with obsidian.
Obsidian is a form of lava that is like black glass. The surface is
smooth and shiny. The ground literally sparkled from the sun glinting
off all the obsidian. (It was like a parking lot filled with broken
glass).
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| Here's Nora and Diane
hiking over the lava flow area. |
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Here's one of several of the meadow areas on the other side
of the lava flow.
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The ground glittered and sparkled from all the
shards of Obsidian scattered about. The light colored rocky
areas are really black, but appear white in the photo from the
glinting sun.
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While on the loop, we came to this junction. Everyone mills
about while waiting for the "tail-draggers".
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