If the OregonHikers search engine is to be believed, it's been a while since anyone visited this refuge. Charley (TR), retired jerry (TR?), and fettster (TR) made it out there in 2010 and jessbee in 2011 (TR) but few seem to have made the trek in the intervening years (or at least posted a TR about it). This is understandable since it's a good drive from Portland and almost a 6 hr one for us. Still, it was someplace we'd always wanted to visit and, with a high pressure ridge in place for a couple of days, we decided to go for it. We stayed in Lakeview and, after an early start the next morning, made it up to the gated TH by 8:30am [there's limited parking here, so, during the busy season(?), most guides suggest parking at the hot springs and walking 0.5 mi of old road to this gate]. Blue skys, light wind, 65F air temps - who would have thought since it was raining and snowing just the day before. There were also no flying, biting insects of any kind - will miracles never cease? We went S on the Barnhardy (or Barnhardi) Road catching our first view of Warner Pk about 1.3 mi in - where the old jeep trail cuts off to the W.
Then on to the old line cabin in Barnhardy Basin (the red pole structure is Oregon SNOLITE (not SNOTEL) site #1218) and up the gully behind it toward DeGarmo Notch.
We found this terrain to be pretty easy to move through XC - even more so as the sage brush got more stunted as we climbed higher - so, rather than go to the notch, we just contoured up from the cabin to the big saddle at 7400' about 1.3 mi from the summit. From there it was easy walking up the summit.
Once up there, a little Sound of Music action broke out as we were totally awed by the 360 degree view for at least 100 mi in every direction. It made us reflect on how many hikes we do that are mostly in the trees and how rare it is to do a hike where you have big, expansive views all the time.
After more awe, a snack, and an overflight by an F-15, we (reluctantly) headed down. There are several ways off this plateau but we elected to head straight down the 2nd gully N of the summit to the road junction at 6,899' (thus reversing the ascent route described in Bond's 75 Scrambles in Oregon). Yellow arrows are our descent route; red arrow is the road junction.
This isn't a particularly steep descent and the gully is mostly brush-free dirt until it levels out just before reaching the road. A stout wooden gate is the key directional feature here.
Then it was back N on the Barnhardy Road to the TH.
A moderate hike (9.2 mi RT, 2300' EG - if you start at the gate) in a stunning location, with views everywhere. There were no irritating bugs but we did see antelope, mule deer, a coyote, a crane, western tanagers, a long-tailed weasel, and innumerable ground squirrels in varying sizes. Terrain not unlike that in the Steens 50+ miles to the E but we could see these from the summit and their upper reaches are still covered in snow. Hart NAR is, however, snow free...
