*Campsite above Moraine Lake, South Sister, OR*

We were planning to finally cross the border and visit the Whistler area over the 4th of July holiday but bad weather and snowpack called for Plan B. So we shifted south and headed to the Three Sisters Wilderness area near Bend, OR. Our goal was the 10,358 foot summit of the South Sister, a mountain we had previously failed to summit because we went too early in the 2014 season. With only one hiking trip in a year under my belt, I knew my legs might not make the 5000 foot climb to the summit, but we gave it a go.

After grabbing breakfast and lunch for the trail in Bend at Fix and Repeat, we set off from the trailhead around 9:30 am. The parking lot was filling but wasn’t full on a Sunday morning. I realized as we were packing up that I had forgotten my Sony rx100, so I knew our photos along the trail would be limited.

The trail through the forest was quiet and peaceful with just a few people hiking out from the night before. About a mile in we were met with the snowline and navigating became closer to bushwhacking through whatever path we picked up.

The forest begins to thin at about 1.5 miles in and the trail forks. Heading right takes you down to Moraine Lake while left continues on towards the summit of the South Sister. After a few minutes wandering at treeline, the clearing revealed incredible views of the South Sister, Broken Top, and Mount Bachelor. We decided to find a campsite to drop our packs and lighten our load as we continued on the summit trail.

*South Sister and Broken Top, Three Sisters Wilderness, OR*

*Broken Top and Mount Bachelor, Three Sisters Wilderness, OR*

*iPhone Panorama of South Sister, Broken Top, and Mount Bachelor from our campsite above Moraine Lake, OR*

After pitching camp and grabbing a snack, we continued our climb, passing through the area known as Sandy Plain, a relatively flat section of trail that leads right to the base of the South Sister. We stopped for lunch under a small patch of trees at the base of where the snowfield climb begins.

Gearing up with our micro crampons, we began the steep climb up the snowfield towards Lewis Glacier. We pushed for a good while, watching the late afternoon clouds swirl as we took breaks to rest out legs. My right knee was feeling sharp pains during the climb from my self diagnosed cartilage floater.

*View of Mount Bachelor from the South Sister Climbers Trail. Our tent is on the first hill.*

Around 3:30 pm just above 8000 feet, we stopped for a rest while a group made their way down the glissade chutes. It was at this point that we changed our goal and decided to make it to that point, glissade down and go enjoy the beautiful evening at camp.

Glissading is a fast way of sliding down a steep slope. Done both standing or sitting, I prefer feeling like I’m a kid again and sliding down on my bottom. While the snow wasn’t ideal for a glissade descent, we managed 3 sliding sections which took off much of the downhill climb making the return to camp quick and easy.

*Glissade chutes on the South Sister Climbers Trail, Three Sisters Wilderness, OR*

I set up our tent space, blowing up our sleeping pads and fluffing out the sleeping bags while Forrest melted snow for tea and rehydrating our dinner meals. We watched as groups passed both ways on the trail, still heading up and down in the long day of summer. I explored the area searching out interesting trees and other pieces of nature. Clouds swirled around the trio of peaks and I captured a few timelapse videos with my iPhone. Thinking of our past summers at the beach, as the sun dipped lower and the temperature dropped, we were reminded that it can be freezing in the mountains even on the 4th of July.

*Our campsite with Broken Top in sunset light in the distance*

After watching the light leave the mountains, we climbed into the tent with the intention of playing cards, but quickly drifted off to sleep. I had set my alarm for a midnight wake up to attempt to capture the Milky Way over Mount Bachelor. When I rose in the dark, there wasn’t a star in the sky as a blanket of clouds had covered the area. A distant light on Mount Bachelor indicated that the ski resort stays active all year round.

Sunrise dawned clear and bright, offering incredible views of the trio of peaks. We broke camp slowly, sipping our cold brew coffees which had frozen buried in the snow and a cup of hot tea. The return hike to the trailhead was easier to follow and we realized just how off track we had wandered the day before. We returned to the parking lot early enough to set off in search of breakfast.

While we missed the summit again, we had an incredible night in the mountains and our legs continued to build strength to carry us late into the summer season.

Backpacking near Bend - Camping in Three Sisters Wilderness