Broken Top Loop Day 3

Jul 18

South Sister Summit to Tam McArthur Trailhead

I woke up with the first rays of sunshine lighting up the skies into a deep purple and orange tone. Voices in the distance from early rising climbers that made their way up the mountain for sunrise.

Over night, I had been the only person at the summit of South Sister. By 5:30am there were a dozen people ready to enjoy the sunrise spectacle. It was worth it. It always is.

I had the luxury of making breakfast and enjoying a nice cup of coffee while slowly breaking down my tent and campsite. By 7:00am I started making my way down the summit the mountain, but not before I stopped at the true summit for one last view.

I crossed paths with two other Mazamas climbers who had just arrived at the summit a few minutes earlier. We chatted for a bit and talked about our separate adventures, and soon I was back on my way down.

I had a long day ahead of me, hiking all the way down from South Sister, and around Broken Top. The distance would be roughly 16 miles with over 5000ft elevation loss, and almost 2000ft elevation gain.

At the summit crater of South SIster, I stopped to admire one of the many wildflowers that seemed to be growing out of bare rock.

“Courage is found in unlikely places.” - JRR Tolkien

Once I made my way down the first 1400ft of elevation from the summit crater, I was back at Lewis Tarn. I stopped to refill my water and take a short break. Looking out on the ridge line, I couldn’t help but notice the conga line of climbers making their way up the mountain. The summit was about to get a lot more busy than the solitude I had experienced over night.

From here, I continued on down into unfamiliar territory for me. I made my way down the mountain towards the Green Lakes route to the East face of South Sister. This led me directly into Green Lakes where I had camped just two nights prior.

Green Lakes was bustling with people. Backpackers and day hikers, people, pets, and wildlife rejoicing in the sunny weather. I made my way around Green Lakes. The tree cover was nice in the early morning sun, and a cool breeze kept the temperature in check.

Soon after the Green Lakes area, the trees became more dispersed and the trail more dry and arid. The tree covers were broken up for sweeping views of the surrounding mountains.

I looked back to the summit of South Sister, where I had been just a few hours prior.

After hiking for 7 miles over 5 hours, I decided to take a detour towards Golden Lake for my lunch break. This would add another half mile to my itinerary, but I figured it was worth it. It was. It always is. Golden Lake was gorgeous with lush green fields surrounding a majestic still lake, and open views of the nearby volcanoes. It’s a place I wish to go back to in the future.

After a brief lunch, I returned to the main trail and continued on my way. Despite being tired, I was merely halfway done, and still had a long way to go.

The glimpses of beauty kept me energized. I was surrounded by it.

Just a mile or two after the Golden Lake junction, I crossed the open fields of Park Meadow along with open views of Broken Top in the distance. It was hard to internalize the distance I had covered from just two days prior.

At this point, the weather was hotter by the minute. Exhaustion was setting in, along with tired legs and feet. I reminded myself to stay hydrated as I passed through the long sections of burned down trees on the North Side of Broken Top.

I still had a couple of hours of trail left ahead of me. In these instances, my pace turns into a meditative trance, where my physical discomfort is partially ignored. I become friends with discomfort, and enjoy the sights that the trail has to offer.

Each passing creek was an oasis filled with life and wildflower, and an opportunity to fill up on cold refreshing water. Sights to behold.

As it usually happens, the last mile was the longest of them all. Every junction destined to point me to the end of the trail was but a cruel joke, reminding me that I still had insurmountable lengths to cover. In reality, I just had to keep my pace, and soon I would reach my destination.

I caught one last view of the mountains before caught views of cars in the forest road, and the last stretch towards the Tam McArthur Trailhead.

The adventure had come to a closure with great memories to cherish forever.