Trip Report
There was a good crowd in place to hear Bill Sullivan talk about his latest hiking guide edition at the EWEB meeting room on Friday evening, January 27, as the monthly Obsidian “potluck” presentations resumed. The aromas of the potluck were missing, but the members of the Bus Committee had graciously brought an assortment of delicious cookies.
Sullivan, a fellow Obsidian, reminded his audience how lucky he was to be able to hike for a living. About every seven years, he has to put out new editions, noting changes to previous editions (due to forest fires, for example), as well as adding and eliminating some hikes.
Sullivan’s latest revision was to “100 Hikes in the Central Oregon Cascades.” One of the themes of his talk was hikes leading to waterfalls, including what he called the best collection of falls in this area, those located at Silver Falls State Park. He called our attention to three waterfalls outside park boundaries. Shellburg Falls can be reached by hiking up an old road. A further foot path takes you to Upper Shellburg Falls and its cavern’s roof, consisting of a 20 million-year-old lava flow. The Columbia River originally flowed here, but was eventually pushed further and further north. Stassel Falls is also in this area. Located on private land, it is observable from public access.
Another interesting falls is located at Henline Mountain. This is a good endurance hike, climbing over 2,000 feet in 2½ miles. Near the falls is an old mine entrance. Miners tunneled a quarter mile underground in a straight line looking for treasure. The end of the trail lies underneath the summit of Henline Mountain... and the underground path is wet and dark, so bring a flashlight and wear good boots.
Moving away from waterfalls, Sullivan informed his audience about cabins near some interesting hikes. One of these is the old Santiam Pass Wagon Road near Iron Mountain. The wildflowers are spectacular near here and you will also run into the grave marker of Charity Ann Nobel, who died in childbirth while traveling the road on her way to the Willamette Valley. The road accesses the old Fish Lake Remount Depot, where a cabin can be rented for an overnight stay.
Other cabins available to rent and mentioned in Sullivan’s latest edition are those at Scott Lake Campground (free, because of there being no water available), Paulina Lake Lodge, Odell Lake Lodge and Box Canyon Freeman Station, just off of Aufderheide Road. One may also find fire lookouts available to rent, but Sullivan didn’t seem to encourage this, as he compared them to “iceboxes shaking in the wind” during the winter, when most just happen to be available.
The next area on Sullivan’s list was Mt. Jefferson and the changes brought about by the B&B fire in 2003 that burned up a third of the wilderness area. He reminded us that fires in the Cascades are on a 200 year cycle, which makes for even-aged stands, and hotter, more intense fires. Fires are an integral part of the ecosystem, however, and, among other positive results, they open up the forest so that huckleberries and bear grass will grow.
One of the areas impacted by the B&B fire was Duffy Lake. The fire killed all the trees on Duffy Butte, but left a green rim of trees around the lake.
Luckily, Canyon Creek Meadow was left untouched by the fire. The hike to it starts out in a burned over area, then goes through a partly burned area to the lower meadow, until the unburned upper meadow is finally reached. Carl Lake and Table Lake were also relatively unchanged by the fire.
Sullivan also discussed the previously named Squaw Creek, now called Whychus, which means a place to cross water. Indian pictographs are found along the creek, which flows through the town of Sisters and then into the Deschutes River. Recently, the public gained new access to the area along Whychus Creek. The story goes it was previously owned by someone dealing in illegal drugs who had threatened people with his gun to keep them away. However, the owner was eventually arrested and the state took over the land and put in a trail to the pictographs. The previously named Squaw Creek Falls, now called Chush Falls, are along this creek. Carver Lake, at the 8,000-foot level on South Sister, is the headwaters of the Whychus. There is a sand dam keeping Carver Lake intact and if the bulge growing on the southwest side of South Sister were to blow, it is possible the dam could be destroyed, flooding Whychus Creek and possibly the town of Sisters.
Sullivan recommended Mirror Lake as a place to camp near South Sister and get away from crowds. However, it is located directly over the “bulge,” and there isn’t a trail leading to it; so you may have to have a GPS and know how to use it in order to find the lake, plus your way back.
The final area Sullivan discussed was Diamond Peak, which actually has five summits and is the least climbed of the prominent peaks in the Cascades. The wildflowers and bear grass make the hike a worthwhile venture and Bill’s book describes how to reach the first false summit, and then how to get around the piles of rocks in order to get to the true summit further on the trail.
It was a good night for getting together with new and old Obsidian friends, eating cookies, listening to an entertaining speaker and dreaming about some summer hiking.
