Canyon Creek Meadows

I was looking for a hike to do with the whole family that would be challenging, accessible, and worth seeing. I came upon Canyon Creek Meadows and I wondered why I had not visited there before. It was only an hour and a half drive away from our house in the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness near Three Fingered Jack. I shared it with Jacqueline and she agreed to go check it out with me. The kids had no choice but to join along and we were off. The drive took us up over Santiam Pass, then down a paved back road heading toward the Metolius area. We split off at some point until we were on a fairly well maintained dirt road that eventually brought us to a trailhead. It was always amazing how we would see no cars at all on the road and think that we were out there by ourselves, but when we get to the trailhead, it is filled up with cars.

This made sense, because we were required to get a permit to do this hike. It started from the Jack Lake Trailhead. Jack Lake was right there and it would not take long for us to see it. Our goal was to head out to Wasco Lake. This sent us off in a northerly direction through burnt forest and dry, hot slopes. The trail was pretty quiet because most people went right for the highlight of the hike which was Canyon Creek Meadows. We wanted to make the hike a little bit more challenging, so we would do another loop with the PCT heading up toward the Minto Pass area. The trail had sweeping views and even a creek or two to cross. Eventually we made it down to Wasco Lake. The lake was really nice and quiet, but it was tough to find a good spot to sit down and have first lunch. Some people were hungry and others weren't, so some of us ate a sandwich and others would wait.

We continued on the trail until we ran into a big group of workers. There were a couple of forest service people with a big volunteer group. They were clearing the trail of blowdowns. We thanked them for their work and then went on our way. From there the trail became very thick with downed trees. This was a burned section of forest and it had been a rather snowy winter. That meant that there were a lot of blowdowns to cross over. We thought that this would improve as we got to the PCT, but there were still a lot of blowdowns there which made the hiking much slower. We eventually made it past the PCT section. I was only one week away from starting the PCT and I would be back to this section of trail in just a few weeks if all went according to plan. I expected it to be much clearer of blowdowns in a few weeks though. The PCT section was only about a mile or so and then we were heading back down to Wasco Lake. Here we would have second lunch for the part of the group that was not hungry the stop before. This time, we found a nice spot with a log to sit on right by the lake. We even saw a deer wading through the lake. It was quiet and very enjoyable. 

We spent some time at the lake, then it was back the way we got there. This was only a short way back, up the trail until we came to a junction. This junction would send us off to Canyon Creek Meadows. The trail became much more difficult at this point. There were huge sections of blowdowns and using the GPS on the watch became a necessity. We ran into a couple of older guys that we talked to at the trailhead. They warned us that the way beyond was rather difficult. They were right. There were huge clumps of downed trees that made hiking through certain areas impossible. Instead we would be forced to go around them and forge a new way through.

Eventually we came upon some meadows. There was a quiet little stream flowing through a comfortable forest and grassy area. The wildflowers were not quite out yet, but the area was still really enjoyable. We talked to some people and they said they were turning around because of the snow. This convinced my wife right away that we should also do this. I was not convinced. We went up until we found the snow and she let me go a little bit further. I went up and realized that we could continue to hike in this section. She was not so sure, but I eventually convinced her to continue with me. This was the right decision, because after a short section of snowy trail through the woods, it opened up to amazing views of the mountains.

We came upon an awesome meadow that was only partially snow covered. From there on out, it became an experience where we would just see what was around the next corner. We did this for quite some time until we ran into too much snow to continue upward. Luckily, this brought us to an amazing view of the mountain. This side was so steep and rocky. This was not the way that climbers accessed the mountain as it looked rather perilous from this direction. The views were fantastic, though, and even though there were not a plethora of wildflowers out, we still felt good about this. There were a couple of people who continued on further than us, but they fought deep snow the whole way. I felt like we went about as far as we felt comfortable going on this day.

Jacqueline let me scramble on down to the valley below where I could get a good picture. Then it was back up where I met my family and we were finally all convinced to head back. This required more walking through snow and more beautiful meadows with overflowing mountain streams. The trail back was different, though. This trail had been cleared from blowdowns and was in much better shape.

It was a much more enjoyable hike on the way back. Easy trail, slightly downhill most of the way, through a forest that was not burnt and did not have many blowdowns. We enjoyed our smooth sailing and were back to the trailhead in no time. We took a minute to admire the collection of bumblebees on the bathroom roof. There was just an odd collection of bees there, not threatening, just enjoying the concrete hangover for some reason. It was back in the car for the trip home after that. All in all, it turned out to be a very enjoyable day doing many miles with the family.

Backpacking with Conrad in Mt. Jefferson

School is out! That means a summer of hiking and backpacking in Oregon is in store. We shipped Zyla off to summer camp, so the three of us had a few days to ourselves to go explore. It was amazing weather for June also being a little bit cool. We had talked for weeks about going to the Rogue River, but when it came down to it, it was kind of a long drive. We chose instead to go to Mt. Jefferson area. We had tried to hike here weeks ago, but there was too much snow. A few weeks and a little warm weather had cleared that snow right out and it was now time to hit the trail. When it came down to going, though, Jacqueline just wasn't feeling it, so she decided to stay home. That meant it was a backpacking trip with just Conrad and me. This was going to be fun!

We chose to leave from the Duffy Lake Trailhead. There were plenty of permits available, but when we got to the trailhead about an hour from where we lived, there were lots of cars there. There were also lots of mosquitoes and we would spend much of the trip fighting them off. The hike to Duffy Lake we had done before. It is a pleasant hike through forest occasionally being next to a creek that would actually become the Santiam River. The trail was clear of snow, but there were quite a few blowdowns which made it challenging with the big backpacks especially for Conrad given that he was only 10 years old. He was taking it in stride, though, and soon we were at Duffy Lake enjoying a snack break.

The trail continued on from Duffy Lake and it added the benefit of going through a burn area. This made the trail a little bit warmer and the blowdowns increase in size and number. As we skirted the shores of Mowich Lake, the going became much more difficult. I never really had to help Conrad out much, though, as he handled the down trees really well. Getting above Mowich Lake is when I started to get a bit nervous, though. There was snow still here once we were back in the trees. Given that we planned to camp at Alice Lake, this made me nervous that camp would have snow. When we got to Alice Lake, though, the snow was gone. Alice Lake wasn't much, but it was a water source right near the trail that was quiet and secluded. 

We got camp set up and found a nice flat spot back in the trees. We were happy to drop the big packs and after a rest break, we put on the day packs instead. We headed back the way that we came to a junction about a half mile back. We took the opposite junction that sent us out to North and South Dixie Lakes. The trail continued to have blowdowns in this section, but it was not quite as difficult to cross them without the big packs. The Dixie Lakes were really nice, but I was glad that we weren't camping out here because there weren't many live trees left. I was surprised at how much of Mt. Jefferson was burned. It had taken the brunt of the forest fires in Western Oregon thus far.

We continued on the trail which took us past meadows and awesome views of Three Fingered Jack. The goal of this little adventure was to get to Santiam Lake. When we made it, we found a quiet little lake with a few fisherman and campers. We took a break at a nice quiet spot where we both took a dip. The lake was cool but not as cold as it could be for this time of year. I was happy to cool off and Conrad was enjoying it also. We circumnavigated around the lake. This led us to a swampy section that we had to work hard to avoid getting our feet wet. It also took us by some nice campsites and I assumed that this lake would be much busier in the summer time.

We hiked back to our little lake where we spent the evening doing all the things that are fun to do at camp. We read books, played cribbage, ate some backpacking food, and hung out. There were also the chores of washing dishes and filtering water, but mostly it was just fun to have some guy time hanging out. We slept well and temperatures were comfortable for us. Sleeping in the tent with sleeping bags is always enjoyable and it was good we got a rest because we had a full day ahead. The goal today was to walk to Marion Lake and back. There was a nice big loop that we could do. So as soon as we were ready in the morning, we were heading out with our daypacks on. We could go ahead and leave the tent at Alice Lake.

The first mile started out kind of snowy. It seemed like we had found a little oasis in a see of snow at this higher elevation. The trail also started to go downhill, so I hoped the snow would go away. It started to and soon we were hiking through the woods to go check out Red Butte Lake. We were actually camping under Red Butte at Alice Lake, but this lake had a better view of the summit. From here the trail continued downhill eventually getting out of the snow and opening up quite significantly when we emerged from the forest to the more burnt area. Here we were now in the Eight Lakes Basin and the Eight Lakes Basin had seen significant fire activity recently. It was starting to recover, but much of the area was open and exposed.

The trail took us past John Lake which would have probably been an awesome lake before it burned. Conrad and I joked about the name being sort of a boring name for a nice lake. We continued on down the trail which took us to Bowerman Lake. I wondered when and who this lake was named for given that the name of Bill Bowerman was so well known in Oregon. Was it named for him or a relative of his? I probably could dig deeper and find out, but I don't have that information. Bowerman Lake was probably the prettiest lake we saw the whole day without being burned at all around its shores. It also had spectacular views of Mt. Jefferson and the largest collection of mosquitoes we would see during the day.

The trail continued on here heading toward a junction with the Minto Pass trail. We wondered if this trail had been cleared in years because there were so many blowdowns. I was happy that we decided to take this trail going downhill rather than up, because we were getting a workout in just climbing up and over all of the downed trees. When we got to the junction of the Minto Pass trail, that trail was hardly recognizable as a trail with so many blowdowns. This area had burned 20 years ago, but it seemed like just now many of the trees had decided to fall with the snowy winter that we had. The forest was starting to grow back with many 4-6 foot tall trees, but the thickest vegetation was this weird green sticky plant. After crossing hundreds of blowdowns, though, we finally made it to the shores of Marion Lake and out of the burned area. It was like hitting a light switch and suddenly we were on this incredibly pleasant trail with shade and a comfortable atmosphere. It even took us next to a cascading waterfall with a nice comfortable bridge to cross. Marion Lake was huge. It is hard to fathom the size of this wilderness lake until you are there. 

We got there in the late morning and when we finally made it halfway around the lake, we had a lunch around noon. There were numerous campsites along the lake with lots of places with seclusion and privacy. Conrad was excited to see a group that we had encountered the previous day still waking up late in the morning. I guess they existed on a different time scale from us. We ate our lunch continuing on our way. The views were many of the lake and Three Fingered Jack from here and one of the more exciting parts was crossing the outlet of the lake. A huge amount of water poured out from here. We could have gone down to Marion Falls, but we already had a long hike back ahead of us. 

So we went up the trail. It quickly climbed upward crossing lava fields and forested slopes. We had enjoyed an entire morning of going downhill, now it was time to hike back uphill in the afternoon sun. The temperature, though, was not bad at all and we had really lucked out with the weather. There were not many people on the trail now that we left Marion Lake, but we did get passed by some Europeans that looked like they were ready to put in a good 30 miles on this day. We passed a junction with the Pine Ridge Trail and filtered some water at a small lake where we fought off the mosquitoes out for blood. We continued through the forest until it dissipated and left us in a fire scarred area once again.

The name of this trail was the Blue Lake trail, so that is where we were headed. Along the way, though, the views were great given that the trees were gone. When we got to a high point on the trail, we stopped to take a break. Conrad hung out while I climbed up a little butte to get a better view. The scrambling was pretty easy and soon I was on top with an excellent view of the area around. So many lakes, it must have been amazing before the fires. Conrad even named one of the smallest lakes Frodo Lake after the hobbit in Lord of the Rings. We continued on to Blue Lake. We made sure to scramble on down to its shores and get a good view of the lake.

Blue Lake had some sections of trees still left and it seemed like it would be a nice quiet spot to camp. There were no other people around at this point and I am sure that we were the only people that day to do the hike around the entire Eight Lakes Basin. We continued on from Blue Lake and were soon back at John Lake. After skirting its shores for some time, we found ourselves climbing back uphill for the last mile through the snow. It was a 13 miles day which is pretty good for a kid of 10 to do especially with hundreds of blowdowns to climb over. We could spend the evening enjoying the games of cribbage. I did take a dip in Alice Lake which took quite a bit of convincing given the fact that much of the water was snow very recently. 

The evening was pretty comfortable and there were no visits from bears or cougars. Instead it was just time to hang out playing cribbage, reading, chilling, and sleeping comfortably. In the morning, it would be time to hike out, but we had both agreed that we wanted to begin the day with a trip up Red Butte. It was right there at our campsite and I imagined the view on top was spectacular. Plus, my watch had an old trail on it, so it gave us something to follow to get to the top. We were up early in the morning and we found the trail pretty easy at first. It was somewhat steep, but nothing scary. At times we would lose it given that it was not officially a trail, but we would find it again later. 

There was a bit of snow, but nothing that we could not avoid. It wasn't long before we were topping out and got to enjoy the big sweeping views. Conrad was excited by climbing this pseudo mountain and the top was nicely flattish for views in all directions. We were both happy that we took the extra time to hike up here. We headed back down and were back at camp in no time. Here we packed up the contents and were off on the trail again. Back were the heavy packs and the difficulty of climbing over blowdowns. We were both getting pretty good at getting over these at this point and soon we were back along the shores of Duffy Lake.

This took us back through the forest. We saw the backcountry horseman on their way up clearing trail as they went. They asked us about blowdowns ahead and we told them there were a few. Not sure how far they were going, but we told them that we appreciated their work. From here, it was smooth sailing with the blowdowns all cleaned out. Soon we were back at the trailhead happy to take off the big packs and hide from the mosquitoes for a while. It is amazing that when you are done with a big backpack, you are just as happy to be back as you were to go. There was nothing left to do but enjoy some ice cream sandwiches and drive the short hour drive back home. What a great trip. Conrad had fun, I had fun, and we both had great memories to look back on for a nearly flawless trip.

Iron Mountain and Cone Peak

Spencer and I had been talking about doing a hike or mountain climb together for quite some time. Finally it worked out. He invited me to hike Iron Mountain which I knew nothing about. It was a hike fairly near to me but off of Highway 20 toward Albany. I did not drive that was very often, so it had completely escaped my realm of possibilities. We got a decently early start. I drove and found the trailhead pretty easily since it is right off of the highway. I was surprised to see that we were the first ones at the trailhead. I guess since it was Friday, we had a little less company. The trail started going up pretty steeply. I was happy with some elevation change and some miles to put in since I was preparing to go on the PCT in one month. 

I needed to test out the knee to see what it was capable of. After electing not to have surgery or go through physical therapy, I really wanted to know what the knee could take. Each weekend, I would go out on a hike, but that really wasn't going to compare to the every day of doing the PCT. Spencer was quite a bit younger than me, so he was probably in better shape. I was trying out my trekking poles for the first time and I must have looked like one of those old hikers. I couldn't decide if I liked the trekking poles or not. Having two of them seemed unnecessary though and I felt like it made me move quite a bit slower. The trail continued to climb and the peak came into view. It had a rocky summit that we would traverse right under.

Spencer was taking a lot of pictures which was fine. He was from Oklahoma, which I did not hold against him, so this scenery was much more dramatic than where he came from. He liked to climb out on some steep, treacherous slopes for no reason. I let him and the only thing that bothered me was when he started throwing rocks off the mountain. There could easily be someone down there, but it is hard to police the situation when it is the first time hanging out with someone. Eventually we made it back on the main trail and really after just some uphill hiking, we ended up on a platform made of wood. It was in the place of the old lookout and there were signs showing the names and locations of the peaks around.

It was pretty fancy and I think the jury is still out on whether I liked it or not. For something different, it was good, but I wouldn't want a platform on top of every peak that I visited. We made a plan to head around the loop rather than going back to the car the way that we came. I was all in on getting more miles in if possible. This was take us around the flanks of Cone Peak.

The trail went down and then around and soon we were at the base of Cone Peak. We both seemed inspired, so we decided to go up to the top of that one too. This one took a bit more scrambling as some of the areas were quite steep. We followed a good line, though, and the loose scree gave way to a much easier ridge hike which we took right up to the summit. The view from Cone Peak was slightly better in my eyes than Iron Mountain. Maybe it was the more wilderness type of feel to the top that made me feel that way, but it was enjoyable. I was glad we took this side trip. Then it was back down. With all the scree, I was a little worried about rocks coming down, but we handled it well. Then it was back to the trail.

From here the trail just kind of either stayed level or went down. It eventually brought us to a big meadow where we turned west to head back to the parking lot. The hike was so quiet. I learned a lot about Spencer and when we got back to the car, he had to show me something else. There was a cave not too far from here out in the woods that he had been to. He found the right parking spot and we walked to it. Sure enough, here is this lava tube with ice still in it in June. Pretty cool spot. It was hidden pretty well, but when I looked at the old maps it was on there. It is called Sawyer's Cave. We did not get too far because all we had was our phones for light. It would be interesting to go back with a headlamp and explore it further. After that, it was back home. A great day out. The knee did well and I had some good company to go with it.