Trip Report
South Sister is one of the "Three Sisters", a group of 10,000+ foot volcanoes that rise abruptly west of Bend, Oregon.
South Sister is the highest of the three. It has over 5000 feet of prominence and is the highpoint of two counties, Deschutes and Lane.
Needless to say, the peak had been on my list for awhile. We finally had an open weekend. My wife wasn't so sure about climbing South Sister, but when I informed her there was a Brandi Carlile concert in Bend that weekend, the trip was set.
After a fun few days in Bend, we awoke early to tackle South Sister. The forecast was for sunny skies, moderate winds, but cold... only the mid-30's for highs on top!
As we neared the trailhead, the thermometer in the vehicle read 31 degrees. Kind of chilly considering it was the beginning of August.
We found maybe the last spot in parking lot, organized gear one final time, then set off (only 12 minutes behind schedule).
This would be nearly double my wife's previous elevation gain on a day, so I was nervous. So as we hiked, I made sure we stopped once an hour to eat, get some GU, and drink. The goal was to summit in 5 hours, eat lunch on top, then be back down for a total of 9 hours.
The first section of the trail was in forest. It has some steep sections, but wasn't quite as bad as advertised. I enjoyed the cool morning and shade.
Once out of the forest, the trail flattens and you reach a fork to Moraine Lake. Now we were in sun and enjoying views of South Sister and pointing out where we could see the trail. We were right on schedule, picking off 1000 feet every 50 minutes, then stopping for a 10 minute break.
After the flats, you reach the base of the peak and the real climbing begins. In addition to the steeper pitch, this is about the time the trail starts becoming loose pumice - great for landscaping, but not fun to climb up!
Eventually we reached a nice break spot at the base of the Lewis Glacier. The wind was blowing hard now and we bundled up for the last 1000 feet. We were still on our timeline.
The last 1000 feet were tough as we faced loose rock, cold wind, and tired legs. My wife was a trooper and soon we topped out on the crater rim with a short walk over to the actual highpoint.
The crater rim was insane. The wind was roaring and clouds were moving in and out. What little water was present in the lake in the crater was freshly frozen.
After touching the top we settled down below the summit rock on a ledge overlooking the Prouty Glacier. On our ledge out of the wind, it had to be 30 degrees warmer. We enjoyed our lunch and enjoyed views (though the clouds became thicker as we sat).
Eventually we sauntered down. My wife's legs were feeling it all of the way down, but we kept on pace and finished exactly 9 hours after we'd started.
Despite this being my biggest elevation gain in half-a-dozen years, I felt great the entire day. I really enjoyed the area as well and despite a large number of people on the trail, most were very friendly and talkative.
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