Three Fingered Jack Loop, 20-July-2013

This forum is used to share your experiences out on the trails.
User avatar
kepPNW
Posts: 6411
Joined: June 21st, 2012, 9:55 am
Location: Salmon Creek

Three Fingered Jack Loop, 20-July-2013

Post by kepPNW » July 23rd, 2013, 3:51 pm

Early last week, Brad posted a map that blew me away. I've always been intrigued by Three Finger Jack, but hadn't hiked near it since the early-70s. The suggested route looked absolutely awesome. It was supposedly a 20.5 mile loop, with a not-too-difficult 2.1 mile off-trail section, and about 3300' of EG. The guidebook this was taken from is, "One Night Wilderness Portland: Quick and Convenient Backcountry Getaways ...", by Douglas Lorain. The relevant section (hike #62, p203) can be browsed here. We chose to go counter-clockwise to A) have better lighting for the photos, and B) get the off-trail portion done earlier rather than later. In hindsight, reason B was definitely the deal-maker!

It turned out the off-trail section was indeed 2.1 miles, even with significant swerving and swaying about. What wasn't clear ahead of time was that it was (mostly) through a section destroyed by the B&B Complex Fires in 2003. So for the first mile or so, we were hurtling fallen logs, trying our damnedest not to trip over their many branches and/or being impaled by same, and then began the (big honking!) boulder scramble, followed by a 500' slip-n-slide up golfball-sized scree on a 35° pitch.

And, upon marking that achievement, we were about 1/3 of the way into a 24 mile loop on a 95°F day without shade! Ai yi yi! Why did we do this? Well, so we could eat lunch right here:

Image
180° view (eight image, 4x2, pano) northwestward from our lunch spot at 6500'.


But I get ahead of myself, as always. :) We started our day with a 6am meetup at Dick's on Boone's Ferry, and carpooling (Thanks, Jim!) from there to Santiam Pass, which we arrived at somewhere around 8:30 or so. Oddly, although they had a nice-enough outhouse, the requisite picnic table, and a good sized parking lot, there was no self-service Forest Pass offering. We didn't notice, until someone asked us. Poor guy had to risk a citation, or drive to a ranger station many miles away.

The NOAA forecast for the TH was a high of 77°F. (They lie.) It was warm already. We were in the burn zone from the get-go. The first four or five miles were through wide-open territory, with views south to the Sisters and north to TFJ. We passed a few small lakes, and cussed out numerous hidden stumps in the trail that were covered up by the shrubs overgrowing it.

Image
TFF trailhead shot. Definitely a wide-brim day!


Image
Ten years after the fire, the pines were shorter than us. The view was still crisp and clear!


Image
I didn't remember too many places where all three Sisters could be lined up from the north? Fun to see again where I just was!


Image
Just a couple miles in, we came to Square Lake, and our first good views of the saddle crossing over TFJ.


Image
The fire went to lake's edge mostly, but one random spot was preserved as a potentially shaded campsite.


Image
Although lots of logs had been cut off the trail recently, perhaps 1/2 mile total was completely overgrown with these shrubs
(which we were extremely thankful were past flowering!)



Image
The burnt landscape proved fascinating in its own way, as well as opening up lots of views we wouldn't have had in a forest.


Image
Something really intense burned at the base of this tree!


Image
Broken Top, Three Sisters, and Mount Washington over Square Lake


Image
As we climbed, we left the shrubs mostly behind, and envisioned easy navigation over TFJ's saddle.


Image
Mental image: Post-apocalyptic crispy-golden arches. (Sun and heat being felt, yes.)


Image
TFJ over Booth Lake. One of the B's in B&B was Booth, so apparently the fire started near here?


Image
Obligatory pano. Too beautiful not to!


Image
Just doin' my part, keeping the trail navigable... :lol:


Image
TFJ looming ahead, we're constantly re-assessing the viability of heading off-trail...


The Bushwhack :shock:

About 5.5 miles into the hike, we arrive at First Creek, which is our jumping off point. There's no way to mistake First Creek. It really is the first creek you cross on this trail. And it's the only one with water, too. Which probably sounds redundant from the reader's perspective, but didn't seem so at the time. Anyway, the strategy here was to turn towards TFJ, and generally follow the drainage until a saddle crossing became clear. There was no sign, whatsoever, of anyone other than deer and elk having taken this route before us! (We did cross through a bedding meadow, where the aroma was still intense!)


Image
First Creek. Turn left here. Or right before here. Or right after. Doesn't matter. Be aware!


Image
Navigation was a breeze! Footing was not. Elk meadow directly ahead.


Image
Our pace fell to just over 1 mph as we had to leap, traverse, or otherwise avoid copious downfall.


Image
It looks deceptively easy. Until one of those grass-covered branches reaches out and grabs your ankle! Or the log below you crumbles.


Image
Following the creek directly was more work, as there was both dead stuff and newly live stuff to contend with!


Image
Maybe a mile in, we found what could've been a drop-dead beautiful little pond, but it was mostly dried up.


Image
We see the saddle getting closer, and eagerly anticipate finally getting out of the forest!


Image
As TFJ becomes more prominent, the horizontal layering is striking! WTH?
I'm now extremely puzzled over the geologic processes that led to this!!!



Image
Cinder bomb? Thought it was an anthill from a distance. Giant, consolidated, red cinder blob! Several of them, actually.


Image
We tried, again, walking in the woods. No easier.


Image
As the slope increased, I was convinced we were now suffering the worst that would be thrown at us.


Image
And we were! I rejoiced at the sight of the boulder field! Heck, this was much easier than Elevator Shaft. :)


Image
They were BIG boulders, though! (Jim's 6'6", eh? You can see Jim, right?)


Image
TFJ continued to grow, as we climbed. Looks like smaller rocks up higher! We'll be heading right, up near those trees.


Image
C'mon, can't pass up a shot like that!


Image
The other, east, side of the saddle had a very cool promontory, as well!


Image
Only 500 vertical feet to go!


Image
But as the scree size decreased, the hillside became more and more slippery. Hard to keep moving forward, here!


Image
Almost there, Jim! (Can you see Jim?)


The Reward :D

Two hours and 2.1 miles after leaving the trail, we crest the saddle at about 6500', and are treated to the most spectacular of views! (Not to mention our first human sightings since leaving the trailhead. Ah well.)

Image
Full 360° panorama, 11 images, from the TFJ saddle. (Interactive Photosynth)
Tripod? Who needs a tripod? :roll:



Image
Right away, I spotted where I'd propose we lunch: that tan colored outcropping the upper-right. I mean... Wow!


Image
Below us, a most beautiful tarn in cirque. And trails! :) And, yeah, people... :|


Image
We head out to our overlook for lunch, passing what we presume to be ancient whitebark pines holding sentinel on the ridge.


Image
TFJ as majestic as it gets... What a spot for lunch! (It was now nearly 1:30pm!)


Image
We were saddened to see a fire burning over by Warm Springs. The end of the crystal clear skies for summer 2013?


Image
Thought I could get Jim an endorsement deal here, but maybe he didn't show enough logo?


Image
Some folks who had scrambled to the saddle from the north continued on up this secondary promontory. We'd climbed enough, thanks!


Image
Selfie! First time I'd sat. Hard to stay still, with these views in all directions.


Image
Some sort of stonecrop was blooming all around our little outcropping.


Image
It was clear the little pines struggled mightily to survive here!


Image
I could see the PCT traversing the ridge across the valley, and suggested, "We could just climb straight up that?" to avoid 4-5 miles. HA!


Image
See that little glacier in the shade? Smackdab in the middle? Remember that...


Image
The enormity of the B&B Complex was still dawning on us! It stretched nearly from Jefferson to Washington!


Image
Given the lateness of the day, it was time to descend the north side of the saddle, and finish the loop!


Image
One last look south at the Sisters area.


Image
We were both pleased to be taking a trail, rather than sliding on our asses, down the scree saddle.


Image
On the way down, I spotted a goat climbing straight up a glacier over on TFJ! It was an amazing sight!


Image
Yeah, I did say, "Straight up!", right? That's the glacier I mentioned above, in the shot with Jim on the knob. :o


Image
We quickly descended 600' or so, along the moraine.


Image
Most of the ice is gone, but some remains. A torrent of meltwater echoed through valley, filling, and emptying, the tarn.


Image
When the light hit just right, the turquoise was unbelievable!


Image
Some hikers decided that this was as good a view as they needed today!


Image
That inflow stream is probably a good 10-12' across. Capturing scale is difficult in this environment!


Image
The flower show didn't really impress much, given all the build-up I'd gotten from Google on this area. Still, nice.


Image
Bet we never get a TR to this rock arch!


The Long Haul :?

It seems we saw, and just decided it wasn't worth the effort to actually go into, the main Canyon Creek Meadows area. There appeared to be a bit of lupine growing, but otherwise it was just a large green field at this point. I'm definitely starting to feel jaded. I know people make a point of hiking here, specifically, from Jack Lake and thrill over it. But at this point, it just wasn't doing anything for us, so we just headed down the canyon, past some apparently "lessor" meadows along the way.

It was about 2:45pm, hovering around 90-95°, and our best guess was we had "well over" 10-12 miles to go! We knew we still had to reclaim the 1000' of elevation we'd just given up, too, as we crossed back over TFJ again to the other side.


Image
The lower meadows were nice enough. Don't drive this far for them, this year, though.


Image
The lupine did seem to be just starting to come on, and will probably get much better shortly.


Image
But much of the meadow area was just, well, rather plain.


Image
It was nice walking beside Canyon Creek, though.


Image
We took this opportunity to refill our hydration bladders!


Image
Note to Tom: There were several bridges in this wilderness, this being the least of them!


Image
In a few miles, we arrived at Wasco Lake. There were a handful of reasonably nice, treed campsites around it.


Image
And then, we were back on the PCT, where the grades are easy(!), all the way to Santiam Pass again.


Image
Wasco Lake from above, as we head south on the (tree-covered) PCT.


Image
The water in Wasco Lake was spectacularly clear and blue!


Image
The burnt woods were full of numerous little potholes like this. (DEET helped!)


Image
Mount Jefferson remained a presence for many miles.


Image
As we traversed a Ghost Forest, we "pulled a mayhem" and put snowballs under our hats to cool down!


Image
Nearing 6pm, we're on that stretch of PCT that I saw from our lunch spot across the valley.


Image
The fiery red layers in TFJ were impossible to capture. Being here in early morning light would be spectacular!


Image
An overlook worthy of another TFF stickpic shot!


Image
Jim crossing over to the west (sunny!) side of TFJ.


Image
Me, assessing how much daylight's left. Oh, we met a Kiwi thru-hiker about here! Kewl...!


Image
As expected, the late sun lit TFJ very nicely. Took too many photos here, too.


Image
Yet another example of why panos should be shot with a tripod! sigh...


Image
A simple change in lighting completely changes the "mood" of this mountain!


Image
More western pasqueflower. Who can resist?


Image
The PCT gradually, painfully gradually, leading away from TFJ! (After hiking the gorge, the PCT seems like a very soft sidewalk!)


Image
Hoodoo Ski Area seemed to be kind enough to offer us a strong cell signal, to alert family just how late we were!


Image
We hit a nice little overlook that offered a sweeping 270° view towards the south!


Image
Black Butte, and the nearly full moon, rose to our east. The Warm Springs fire smoke becoming much more visible now.


Image
Really wanted to find one like this, that I could capture the setting sun through. Oh well.


Image
The trudge along the PCT seemed like it might never end. Were we really going downhill???


Image
Huh? Another 800' EL to go??? No way!


Image
Finally, we start to make out the sound of the highway over Santiam Pass! Whoohoo!


Image
9:01pm. Yeah, no sh*t kidding. Oh man, I am really looking forward to hitting the cooler!


The Wrap-up

Okay, all-in-all, another absolutely wonderful day in (what was left of) the woods! Everyone should do this loop! Once. Heh, I honestly see no reason to do it again anytime soon. Maybe in another 30 years, when the forest has recovered a bit more again. Don't get me wrong. I am really, truly glad we did it! Very cool loop. (Shoot for a day that's really in the 70's, though!)

Image
Final mileage: 23-24, Final EG: 4000'-ish. (Right-click, View-Image, for full-size map.)


http://gpsfly.org/gps_map.php?gps_id=2645&w=645&h=440
TripComputer.jpg
TripComputer.jpg (31.31 KiB) Viewed 14228 times
I got home a bit after midnight. It was a loooong day! And worth it. :D

(Thanks again to Jim, for doing so much of the driving!)
Karl
Back on the trail, again...

User avatar
Crusak
Posts: 3617
Joined: August 6th, 2009, 7:33 pm
Location: Oregon

Re: Three Fingered Jack Loop, 20-July-2013

Post by Crusak » July 23rd, 2013, 4:50 pm

Whew! Where to start? First, excellent TR Karl and great pictures. Thanks for shouldering that task (which you're infinitely better at than I am :) )

It was a great hike. In cooler weather it would have been a perfect day. As we followed Canyon Creek I started getting super tired, right around the 10 to 12 mile mark. "Wonky" as they say. It was high time for me to sit in the shade, eat a snack, refill my water bladder and have a heart-to-heart talk with myself (drill sergreant style :D). It was all uphill from there though - again. Fun part of that loop is that we got to ascend to 6500' twice, right? :o

I caught my second wind as we trotted down the last 5 or 6 miles along the PCT. I think it cooled down a bit, and we had steady breezes. Plus, it was downhill. :)

Being at a trailhead at sunset was a new experience for me. We had a beautiful sunset, and finished things up in the afterglow just before it got dark. I also got home just after midnight.

The cell phone signal was good for both of us at the trailhead, and at certain places along the trail - mostly on the western side of the hills, and at higher altitudes. That was a good thing, because we'd both told our families that we would be finished a little sooner than we actually did. Nothing like sending a text message and picture of our two smiling faces to reassure the family that we're doing okay :lol: but just running a tad late.

I really enjoyed this hike. I've looked at TFJ on my Mt Jefferson Wilderness area maps for many years and wanted to do some close-up exploration. Now we've done a 360° loop around it, and it's pretty cool from all sides.
Jim's Hikes

Solvitur Ambulando

User avatar
kepPNW
Posts: 6411
Joined: June 21st, 2012, 9:55 am
Location: Salmon Creek

Re: Three Fingered Jack Loop, 20-July-2013

Post by kepPNW » July 23rd, 2013, 5:03 pm

HA! Forgot about texting the ("We're good, just late!") happy photo home! That always does the trick, yep.
20130720_183036.jpg
6:30pm
I think we made it back to the trailhead with time to spare. Probably wouldn't have needed headlamps for at least, ooooh, another 15 minutes or so! :lol:
Karl
Back on the trail, again...

User avatar
Peder
Posts: 3401
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:02 pm
Location: Lake Oswego

Re: Three Fingered Jack Loop, 20-July-2013

Post by Peder » July 23rd, 2013, 5:21 pm

You two look straight out of Seven Pillars of Wisdom! Perhaps you should do the Oregon Dunes next?
Some people are really fit at eighty; thankfully I still have many years to get into shape…

User avatar
Born2BBrad
Posts: 1086
Joined: May 1st, 2011, 7:26 pm
Location: The Dalles

Re: Three Fingered Jack Loop, 20-July-2013

Post by Born2BBrad » July 23rd, 2013, 5:33 pm

I wanted to go with you guys, but I had other plans.

Maybe it's a good thing I skipped this one. Hiking uphill on loose scree in the sun with temps in the 90's is brutal.

Looks like you had a great time.

Brad
Make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again.
- Jean Luc Picard

Link to GPX tracks
Link to Trip Reports

User avatar
kepPNW
Posts: 6411
Joined: June 21st, 2012, 9:55 am
Location: Salmon Creek

Re: Three Fingered Jack Loop, 20-July-2013

Post by kepPNW » July 23rd, 2013, 5:52 pm

Peder wrote:You two look straight out of Seven Pillars of Wisdom! Perhaps you should do the Oregon Dunes next?
:lol: (But it's never that hot down there, right?)

About when we got to Wasco Lake, I pulled out my bandana, soaked it, and wore it until sunset. Every time we'd pass a snow bank after that, I'd grab a handful and put it between my hat and the bandana. (Thanks, Mayhem, for that idea!) Worked wonders. :)
Born2BBrad wrote:I wanted to go with you guys, but I had other plans.

Maybe it's a good thing I skipped this one. Hiking uphill on loose scree in the sun with temps in the 90's is brutal.

Looks like you had a great time.
Would've been fun to have you along, for sure! Your were responsible, afterall! :lol: Thanks again, for that map/idea. It was definitely a fun loop!

I just took another look at the temp graph for the hike. Looks like I still need to stabilize the Tempe placement. But it definitely averaged pretty toasty, especially with almost no shade at all.

Image
Karl
Back on the trail, again...

drmental
Posts: 13
Joined: July 9th, 2013, 7:17 am

Re: Three Fingered Jack Loop, 20-July-2013

Post by drmental » July 23rd, 2013, 6:13 pm

Beautiful pictures. I want to go hiking with you, that looks awesome.

Cheers,

Mats

User avatar
kelkev
Posts: 800
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: McMinnville, OR

Re: Three Fingered Jack Loop, 20-July-2013

Post by kelkev » July 24th, 2013, 10:30 am

fantastic!!! and epic!!! Thanks for sharing.
"Going to the mountains is going home."
— John Muir

User avatar
kepPNW
Posts: 6411
Joined: June 21st, 2012, 9:55 am
Location: Salmon Creek

Re: Three Fingered Jack Loop, 20-July-2013

Post by kepPNW » July 25th, 2013, 10:23 am

drmental wrote:Beautiful pictures. I want to go hiking with you, that looks awesome.
Thanks, Mats! We may have to do that, sometime. :) (I hope to have a Spirit Lake invite out in the next couple-few weeks!)
kelkev wrote:fantastic!!! and epic!!! Thanks for sharing.
Truly, my pleasure. :D Thanks much...
Karl
Back on the trail, again...

Diz
Posts: 2
Joined: July 25th, 2013, 12:10 pm

Re: Three Fingered Jack Loop, 20-July-2013

Post by Diz » July 25th, 2013, 12:13 pm

My wife and I did the loop as a back pack that same weekend starting Sat afternoon. Saw a weird zig zag pattern on the glacier Sunday and wondered what the heck it was. Now I know it was the goat! Great pictures, was hot and dry up there all weekend but beautiful.

Post Reply