South Sister Summit in October

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trekkinghigher
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Joined: January 29th, 2023, 11:51 am
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South Sister Summit in October

Post by trekkinghigher » January 29th, 2023, 12:02 pm

10/9/22

Ten days earlier, an alert went off on my google calendar, reminding me that it was time to snag my South Sister permit. With a small amount of planning and a 15-minute block on my calendar in between meetings registering recreation.gov was a sinch.

I got an early start. I wanted to avoid the direct sun above the treeline while covering the steepest part of the trail. It was 39 degrees at 6 am but was going to warm up to the low 60s in the Three Sisters Wilderness. I find that people often underestimate the impact of the sun when it's under 80. I began in pants, a puffy, a beany, a mid-layer, and gloves. The layers slowly came off as I climbed.

Once you get above the treeline, the views are otherworldly the entire way to the summit. Even with the haze of the wildfires. One other observation is that the number of people I saw on the trail seemed to exceed the number of day use permits that are available. I have to imagine a ranger could write quite a few tickets on the weekend if the trail was regularly patrolled.

More photos and details from the trip are here: https://www.trekkinghigher.com/south-sister

Image
Last edited by trekkinghigher on March 6th, 2023, 10:45 am, edited 1 time in total.
See details for my non-Oregon hikes at https://trekkinghigher.com

leiavoia
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Joined: April 24th, 2015, 9:53 pm

Re: South Sister Summit in October

Post by leiavoia » January 29th, 2023, 1:02 pm

This picture makes it look like you just go zoop zoop and you’re at the top, just like that!

trekkinghigher
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Joined: January 29th, 2023, 11:51 am
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Re: South Sister Summit in October

Post by trekkinghigher » January 29th, 2023, 1:31 pm

leiavoia wrote:
January 29th, 2023, 1:02 pm
This picture makes it look like you just go zoop zoop and you’re at the top, just like that!
Yeah, that middle section really lulls you to sleep, and then the mountain kicks your butt. The view heading in is great though.
See details for my non-Oregon hikes at https://trekkinghigher.com

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retired jerry
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Re: South Sister Summit in October

Post by retired jerry » January 30th, 2023, 5:56 pm

Nice info and pictures on your link

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RobinB
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Joined: September 9th, 2013, 11:29 pm
Location: Portland, OR

Re: South Sister Summit in October

Post by RobinB » February 7th, 2023, 7:53 pm

Great site! Just a quick note that your "South Sister summit and Teardrop Pool" is actually Lewis Lake (the lake at the terminus of the Lewis Glacier), maybe 1000' below the summit.

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