Broken Top...the hike to do in BendWhen it comes to hiking, most of the time, the memory is much better than the actual hike. It's a great feeling to point to the top of a mountain peak just outside my front door and say, "I've been there" and here is the picture to prove it. But most of the time the hike isn't as much fun as the story later. Well, like I said, the Broken Top hike to the Eastern saddle from Todd Lake parking lot totally defy's that mantra. The Todd Lake trail-head is off of Cascade Lakes Highway, about 20 or so miles up the road. As you pass Mt. Bachelor it is just a little further down on your right, also known as NF-370. Drive up the dirt road about a mile and there will be parking. In our case, a lot of people hike up there just to go swim in Todd Lake. There is also another way to get to the Broken Top Trail-head, and I did it last year, but as of right now it is CLOSED, check the link to see for yourself. You take the 370 past the Todd Lake Trail-head, and yes it is a 4x4 road (I made it in my Subaru, but I do not suggest doing it yourself). Then you take the 380 left hand turn about 20 minutes up the road on your left and it tiers over into a small parking lot. However, that is not how we approached the railhead due to the closure. The hike is somewhere around 14 miles round trip, which is a little shorter than the South Sister I believe. FYI my fiancee did it in her rainbow flip-flops having forgotten her hiking shoes, she wouldn't advise it, but she made it work. So, I got the crew together. My fiancee, a few friends and my new golden retriever puppy and got on our way. It was about 4:30pm when we headed out from the trailhead and we were headed up ready to check out the sunset. The trail starts off fairly mellow as you wind your way up and around Todd Lake, which is simply gorgeous. As you ascend from Todd Lake you pass by stream after stream and head out to the west toward the Green Lakes trail. Just stay on the trail and keep cruising, it is beautiful up there, with all the streams and lakes there is a plethora of vegetation, beautifully fragile alpine flowers water for the puppy, and really cool scenery as Broken Top sits in front of you the Sisters in your peripheral and Mt. Bachelor and the Cascade Lakes Behind you. There are two small diversions on the way up the Eastside saddle of Broken Top. The first,is a left handed trail that is clearly marked, but will take you down to Soda Springs and the second is the split in the main trail take the right hand turn towards the East, do not continue to the left, you end up at Green Lakes. This turn is about 3.5 miles up the trail. This is where the trail flattens out. At this point everyone was enjoying the scenery and all that was in the area. We were able to walk, talk, and enjoy the next sections at an easy pace. Although a bit tedious, having to hike in a giant zig-zag pattern across the mountain, the hike has only two steep grades, and frankly, I don't think anyone had broken a sweat by this point. We were in complete solitude as a group. We ventured forward, crossing streams and eventually ending up next to an old canal. Just a little further down we ended up at a left hand turn and headed up towards the summit. The next three miles lead the summit. But, again even with the small steep grades I cannot emphasize this enough it is such an enjoyable and moderate-easy hike. Hike up through the trees and eventually you make it above the tree line- Ball Butte will be on your right hand side. Also, there are no more leash restrictions on this portion of the trail so my Golden, Lili got to roam free and for the first play in the snow. There are leash restrictions in the area in the picture shown due to "high traffic" from Todd Lake to Green Lakes as well as to the Broken top Trail Head to Green Lakes. But, not towards the saddle. Just a little bit of clarification because it had me confused. There is a river you will hike along for most of the rest of the trail. We stopped here to snap a photo and admire the beautiful waterfalls and alpine flowers. Once you make it above the tree line, it is time to head towards Broken Hand, the small butte to the right of Broken Top through a gorgeous valley where rivers trickle through and snow still sits in hibernation. There is a red pile of rock in front of you as you climb out of the valley and you head up towards a stream gully. This gully drops you right into what some call No-Name lake, but according to the 2008 topography map is called Ruth Lake. Ruth lake is a blast so check out some of the photo's on my photo page to see more. We decided it was worth while to jump out onto the glacier that sits in the middle of the lake where we "flipped out", literally. The trail continues past Ruth Lake and then climbs up to the saddle where you can over look almost all of Central Oregon from Sisters to the Cascade Lakes. It is an amazing view. We got to be there as the sun was setting over the mountains. The saddle is a great place to spend some time enjoying Central Oregon and a great place to take a break, because, even though the trail has been beautiful and is full of lakes, rivers, glaciers, and so much more, you still have 7 miles to hike back out. But, hey don't be worried, we did it as the sun disappeared behind the mountains. It was beautiful. We got to finish up our hike in the mountains with only headlamps to guide us. As I said before and will continue saying, if there is one hike to do in Central Oregon, it is to climb to the saddle of Broken Top. Make sure to bring your friends. It offers awesome views, great resting points, changing scenery, and an overall impression of what the Cascade Mountains are all about. Oh, and don't forget to take the right way down. There is a right at the canal, a left at the Green Lakes trail and stay left at the Soda Springs turn. Have a great hike! 5 Things to bring:
1. Your Friends-be it your pup, friends or family this is a great hike for someone who can walk 14 miles. 2. A headlamp-we like the sunrise/sunset hikes and a light is needed. 3. A backback-its always a good idea to have food, water and clothing with you on your trip. 4. A car- it is a short drive to the trail head from Bend. 5. A Camera-You are going to want to record this. I use my go-pro and Nikon d5000.
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Once a year I look up at the Cascade mountains and I get the urge, to climb the South Sister. A few years back, late at night after work, my girlfriend (now fiancé) and I decided it was time to get a little crazy. As midnight approached we strapped on some shoes, filled our water bottles, drank some coffee and headed off on our way to the Devils Lake Trail-head: about 28 miles from Bend off the Cascade Lakes Highway on your left. We arrived at the trailhead around 1am and began our ascent (having already filled out the paperwork at the wilderness area check station). We were off on a great adventure! We would hike, camp and soon summit the South Sister. We didn't get far, only about 45 minutes up the trailhead, and we felt the long work day settle in our bones. We decided to set up camp and sleep for the night in the Hemlock Forest. We awoke early to the sound of travelers passing us by. The hike to the summit took us three hours. We had left to the summit, with some agony because we were to be back at work in the early afternoon. So we found it easier to run down, rather than trace our steadily-hiking steps, down to the trailhead and back to our car. This was our first experience to the South Sister summit and although the rush was less than ideal, we left with as great memory. This year we did it a little differently. Normally we like to hike and sleep up above Moraine Lake, a good two or so mile hike up through the Hemlock Forest and camp. We sleep under the stars and are able to enjoy one of the most breathtaking sunrises ever as you look over Moraine Lake and Broken Top above the tree-line. This year we gathered some of our best friends and family to hike the South Sister. We slept at Sparks Lake just down the road from Devils Lake Trail-head and parked on the highway to avoid the need for the Northwest Forest Service Pass and did the entire hike as a group bottom to top and back in one trip. If you want to park at Devils Lake remember your pass or bring $5 cash or check. It is a 12 mile round trip hike and well worth your time. Our group took off at a slow but steady pace with the age varying from my best friend a 24 year old Physical Therapist to my 57 year old father (who kicked our butts up the mountain). In years past we split the hike up and it took us around 4.5 hours up and 2.5 down. This time we had a few slower counterparts who kept a steady pace and it took us 6 hours up and 3.5 down. After you hike through the Hemlock Forest you make your way up to a steep grade of switch backs. Everyone says that if you have a hard time with these switch backs turn back. Yes, listen to what they have to say, but know that with determination and enough water, you can summit South Sister. Once, you make it out of the forest you make your way up to the trail split to Moraine Lake. Continue straight through, it is about a mile and a half of easy walking on a beaten path and up to the right is our normal sleeping spot up above Moraine Lake. Follow the beaten path, and you make you way up to the real start of the climb. From here on out be ready for an adventure. You will climb up a path, that twists and turns, has shale and loose rock, big boulders to scale over and soft lava rock that gets all up in your shoes and socks. If you are lucky and plan it out right you want to climb when the snow is just showing patches. That way the hike is easy to get to the base and the dirt is moist enough to stay in place. As you venture up the path to the summit, take your time. Don't forget to look around and see the beautiful summer scenery of the Cascade Lakes and Mt. Bachelor. You will continue on up the grade passing through the last of the tree's and make your way towards the saddle. The saddle is where the grey lava meets the red lava rock and there is a beautiful place to stop have a snack and look at a glacial pool that collects the run-off from the summit. Oh and don't forget to take a dip on those hot days. The water may be shocking, but hey your at over 9,000 feet and why not? It is a great way to get your adrenaline up and refresh yourself, because even though it doesn't seem like it your only half way up the summit. After we jumped in we ate some food and started our route up what is by far the hardest and most grueling part of the trip. The red trail to the top of the mountain is full of some extreme vertical and is filled with scree, a dusty, volcanic and loose substance that make it hard to move more than twenty or so feet at a time. The last section takes the longest and as the air gets thinner you can feel your lungs asking for more air. But, with enough stops, water and food you will make it up to the summit and get some of the best views of your life. God has really blessed this place, it is a transcendental feeling being up so high and being able to see the entire landscape around you. Now it is time to take a few pictures, catch your breath because you are at over 10,000 feet in elevation and get ready for a thigh burner, because you have a lot of elevation and ground to cover on your way down. The climb down makes life much easier, all of a sudden the climb wasn't that bad, and your giving intel to the hikers on the way up about how far they have to go an little tips on the best way. But, do not forget to think about yourself. The scree that hindered you on your way up is still there and every time I come down from the top, I or someone in my party ends up on their backside just about every time we hike South Sister. The snow on the way down can be another big challenge, but it can also the the most fun of the whole trip. It is slippery, but slippery can be used to your advantage. I brought up a rain coat, others have brought garbage bags, and some just use their shoes and ski down the mountain on the snow patches. Whatever you choose, bring something to play on because for our entire group it was the most fun of the entire trip and really cuts down on how much pounding your legs have to take on the way down. It is a phenomenal hike, and really tests your limits in a safe and fairly controlled environment and is a great feat to achieve for anyone who loves to hike, loves to take photo's, and love to enjoy Central Oregon. 5 Things to bring: 1. WATER-you will be gone for 6+ hours and you sweat. 2. Good Shoes-a good lightweight hiking shoes and socks. 3. A backback-it can go from 25 to 90 degrees, you will need a place to put all of you extra stuff and WATER. 4. A car- it is a short 30 minute drive to the trail head from Bend. 5. A Camera-You are going to want to record this. Here are a few extra photo's from the hike or click to
Check Out The Rest of My Photography ""Oh Honey"...If you love food, you need to go see Chef and Owner Kaew Sumner at A Taste of Thailand here in Bend. Part of being from Bend is allowing yourself to go with the flow...a few years ago that flow took one of my best friends and I into the small drive in Thai shop next to the Xpress Lube off of Greenwood. Before I could even blink a cute Thai women made her way over to our car and gave us an abundance of samples of her newest curry soup creations that had rices, chicken, bamboo and much more all blended to tantalize your taste buds. Well, today I was out and about in Bend again going with the flow and enjoying the sun which we seem to see 200+ days a year, all of a sudden I had the urge to tantalize my taste buds and before I knew it I found myself on Greenwood pulling up to see Kaew...just like always she opened the sliding glass window and asked me,"you know what you like HONEY?" while she hands me down that glorious sample. I gulp it down letting my entire body blend with the tastes of curry, chicken and rice. It always brings me back to center. I ordered Pad Thai Chicken like I always do, there is no better in town, believe me I have checked. I continued to eat my curry sample, and a thought hit me. From its location, to its food, from its employees, to her known saying "Hello, Honnnnney" explain what I love about our country. A lady from Thailand can end up in Bend, Oregon of all places and start a shop, what is basically a food cart on the side of the road. Today because of that I get some of the best Thai food I have ever had. Not to be long winded, but seriously the food she makes is great, from the curries to the fresh spring rolls, from the samples to her smile and love of food, you will never regret going to visit Ms. Kaew Sumner at A Taste of Thai. So, in My Own Words I want to say please take the adventure to go outside your box and try food beyond the normal pub food and go visit A Taste of Thai I know you wont regret it, any you will never say "honey" the same ever again. 5 Things to bring: 1. A bit of Cash- she only takes cash, but its not pricey 2. An appetite- she gives samples and large portions 3. A smile- because she always smiles back 4. A car- it is a drive through 5. An open mind- Her menu changes weekly and its always good (especially the green curry or pumpkin) |
AuthorI'm Drew and outdoor loving, hard working, leisure loving, fun making Bendite who wants to share the world of Bend with you... Archives
September 2013
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