looking back at the first tree island toward North and Middle Sister
about to enter the lava for good, with Belknap Crater on the left and Little Belknap to the right
not the best place to break a leg with above 80 degrees or around a thunderstorm
more Sisters! Is that the Husband on the right?
junction with the Little Belknap Crater trail - see those diagonal slash-looking things on Belknap? That was the steep-ass route up!
my legs were already weeping in anticipation
this was steep...
making progress!
looking back down toward the start of the sand dune ascent
finally at the western summit...unfortunately Mt. Washington "cone blocks" Mt. Jefferson from this angle, though you can see a bit of Three Fingered Jack to the left
looking down into the crater itself toward my old stomping grounds of Linn County
Sisters from the top...at the bottom left you can see 242 by the parking area
let's get the selfie over with
I'll happily join the Three Sisters fan club...
from the slightly lower eastern summit, you can see a bit more of Mt. Jefferson
about to descent/run/slide down the east side of Belknap where you can find another user trail
not as good as the flower pics from Arches last month, but a worthy effort
a nice snowfield...was tempting to sled on my backpack but realized I wanted to keep my head in one piece
Little Belknap on the left
that horizontal track in the center of the pic was my effort to make my own less-steep trail - let's just say loose cinder is not conducive to off-trailing - I had to give up after 100 yards because it wasn't solid enough to gain any elevation - at least the user trails are slightly more compacted
Mt. Washington from Little Belknap
it'd be a bit cruel to bring dogs on this trail without little boots (or would that be crueler to their self-esteem?) - I did see horse crap though
although Taz didn't come on this hike, he told me he still wanted me to post a pic of him
Bend is great! Lucky we found a place when we did, the rental market is supposedly ridiculously tight, especially here on the "westside" (as the kids who think they're cool call it). I'll be here for about 2 years until my girlfriend starts her residency, needless to say I'll be sad to leave.
Thanks!
Chris Saylor
Bend, OR
