Start/End Point: Lava Camp TH
Dates: August 5th-8th
Direction: clockwise
Total miles: 51ish
Big take home thoughts if you don't want to read this whole thing: the whole loop was unique ranging from dirt and dust to sand and lava rock, the NE portion was pretty dried up and full of downed trees, gaiters would be helpful, easily doable in 3 days without dogs, the west side was busy but had a lot of water sources, you won't be disappointed you did this loop. If you bring dogs, bring booties for them, there are a few exposed areas that were challenging for them in the sun so maybe try when the daily high is a bit cooler, CBD treats really helped my pup a lot on this trip.
Day one: Lava Camp to Golden Lake
I've never been to Lava Camp and haven't spent much time in the Sisters-Redmond-Bend area except to have some pints at Wild Ride, so the drive up to Lava Camp was exciting for me. My backpacking buddy and her 2-year-old lab met us (myself and my 8-year-old cattle dog/bloodhound mix) at the TH, and by 7a.m., we were all smiles and excitement as we headed off on our adventure. This whole loop felt like a "choose your adventure" novel. We chose the N. Matthieu Lake Trail, taking endless pictures as the young lab pup eagerly wanted to run into the water. At the PCT/Scott Pass junction, we headed southeast and began the clockwise loop. The burn area was eerie but pretty in its own way. Endless amount of smoke and haziness only added to the area. Not sure I'd want to spend a night here. We saw very few people for this whole dry stretch as we scaled what felt like an endless number of downed trees (some woman on FB reported about 500 and I don't think she was wrong). One torn pair of pants and a fall or two later, and we were excited beyond belief to see flowing water at Soap Creek. Our original goal was to make it to Green Lakes on day one, but a thunderstorm passing nearby, the trees from the Pole Creek area, and the smoke in the air slowed us all down a little. Also, it felt like a day full of endless "UP" although our gain wasn't substantial. It was really neat to see the landscape shift from the dry, dusty, sandy burn area to more of what I think of as traditional wilderness with fir, hemlock, and pine trees as we neared Park Meadow. A guy camping near the meadows with his wife for their anniversary told us Golden Lake was really nice so off we went. Happiness was felt by all as we neared the lake, found a spot with an amazing view of Broken Top, and dropped our packs for the night. Mileage for the day: about 18 miles.
- day one
- day one
- camp one
Day Two: Golden Lake to Mesa Creek
The night at Golden Lake was a bit rough as the wind and cold moved in. It was my first night in a new tent I had bought a couple weeks before so I wasn't sure it's limits, but it did great! I however woke up at one point shaking and had to put on my down jacket to warm up. The pup snored happily all night. We were greeted with a gorgeous sunrise and pink colors bouncing off Broken Top before we packed up and headed onward. The next couple miles were stunning. Amazing views of South Sister as we crossed this flat area before descending down to Green Lakes. Highly recommend bringing a map of the campsites or taking a picture of the posted one as they were very well hidden from the main trail. We didn't see as many people as we thought we would as we passed through the area. At the Moraine Lake Trail junction, we met two guys doing the loop counter-clockwise and joked about seeing them on the northside in a couple days (spoiler--we did!!). The climb to Moraine Lake was subtle, but felt long as the sun was beating down. Day one had been so smoky and hazy that the overcast kind of protected you from the sun. Day two with full sun was draining. We took a break at Moraine Lake where the water was surprisingly warm to the touch. After seeing the South Sister climbers trail, I was very happy to not be climbing that in full sun with a heavy pack. Kudos to all of you that scaled South Sister that day! Onward we went towards the Le Conte Crater trail. These miles were a mix of full sun and tree cover, and several people on horseback were using the trail. We also started hitting a lot more people in this area and for the rest of the trip. For anyone bringing a dog on this loop: the Le Conte Crater Trail and the PCT in this area were all exposed with no water. We hit it at not the best time of day and the old pup at one point laid down and didn't want to keep going. I convinced him to press onward, but both pups struggled in the sun even though we kept shoving water at them. We agreed the next good campsite we found would be it for the day, which turned out to be at the meadow near Mesa Creek. It was a gorgeous spot with very cold water so we were not disappointed. Bonus, we got to see some llamas as a big group with llamas camped nearby. Mileage for the day: about 14 miles.
- day two
- day two
- day two
- camp two
Day Three: Mesa Creek to Minnie Scott Spring
Both myself and my backpacking buddy have been on longer trips, and had been training for this loop with lots of weekend getaways, but I don't think either of us (or my older pup) had done over 30 miles in one push before. So day three was a test for all of us. My old pup was a bit sore and not happy that morning as I made a cup of coffee and watched a deer walk right by our camp in meadow. After lightening the pup's pack and walking around a bit, he loosened up and was happy to be on trail again. The miles passed by as the PCT climbed a bit then leveled off, then climbed some more, then leveled off. We were at the Obsidian area before we knew it, and got the dogs booted up. HIGHLY RECOMMEND BOOTIES FOR YOUR DOGS IN THIS AREA. I had been working with my older pup on walking with the booties so he fussed but dealt with it and continued onward. The lab pup wasn't sure what to make of these foreign things being put on her feet, but like a typical lab, was happy go lucky and came around to them. We stopped off at Obsidian Falls to fill up on water, and really enjoyed the new few miles of gorgeous meadows, streams, and some epic views of the Sisters. By the time we got to Sawyer Bar, everyone needed a break so we rested in the trees. This turned out to be not the best idea as my old dog did NOT want to continue for the day. Note: he's always been a bit of a dramatic boy, costing me hundreds at an ER vet 6 years ago -- I thought he was dying, vet said he was being dramatic and just needed doggy ibuprofen and lots of love. I've learned over our 8 years together what is actual pain and what is his "I need to be cuddled, given treats, and told I'm pretty" kind of moments. This moment turned out to be a bit of both -- he was sore and tensed up from walking over 30 miles, but also just wanted to sleep and do nothing on his own terms. With little water and no sources at our rest spot, we knew we had to go at least another 1.5 miles so I strapped the pups pack to mine, and spent the next mile and a half both apologizing and dragging my 65lb dog over Opie Dilldock Pass as the wind battered against us. That was probably the longest section of the whole trip for me, and for anyone who has never done it, it is a series of switchbacks composed entirely of lava rocks. A unique design, but also a little evil. Coming over the pass, seeing the Minnie Scott Spring, and finding an open campsite was the biggest relief as the old pup finally got to lay down. The moment he laid down, he started wagging his whole body and looked almost like he was smiling while we set up camp. The young lab pup also was feeling the day as she crawled in the tent and didn't move for the rest of the night. Her owner was also struggling with some blisters and happy to kick her shoes off. As I mentioned, day three was definitely a test for all of us, but the natural Minnie Spring water was delicious, and we had some nice folks camped near us. Mileage for the day: just over 13 miles.
- day three
- day three
- day three
- day three
- evil pass
- happy old pup
Day Four: Minnie Spring to the cars
The next morning, I slept in until 6:30 having one of the best night's sleeps on the trip even though it was windy and had poured all night. The new tent held up great again and kept us nice and dry. It was pretty chilly until the sun came up so we took some time packing up. The pup didn't move from my sleeping bag, and I was mentally preparing for a long day of somehow carrying him on my shoulders. After getting some food and CBD in him and moving him around slowly, he luckily started walking, stretching out those tired and sore muscles enough throughout the morning that he returned to his normal walking pace and led us all back to the car. Somewhere along the way, the lab lost one of her booties and our fellow campers from the night found us and returned it to us. The terrain shifted again from meadow and gravel trail to lava rock as we wound our way toward Scott Pass junction. Near the junction, we ran into the same two guys we had seen at the Moraine Lake junction and chatted about the trail. We took a moment at the Scott Pass/PCT junction to celebrate the end of the loop before heading northward back towards the cars. The last three miles went quickly with more people camped at the lakes than we had seen a few days earlier. We celebrated seeing the Lava Camp trail sign, and cheered when the cars came into view. Mileage for the day: about 6.5 miles.
- day four
- day four
It's be a couple weeks since this trip, and I'm still in awe that we did it. And happy to report that after two days rest, Obie (the old pup) was back to his normal self and ready to hit the trail again. Thanks for reading, and happy trails!
Photo credit: several of these pictures were taken by my friend, S.Kearney, who always takes the best photos!
