Oregon Hikers

I’ve wanted to explore the NE side of the South Sister ever since looking down from the summit at the pristine tarns and remnants of retreating glaciers. Yesterday I finally took the time to get it done.

I started at the Green Lakes TH off the Cascades Lakes Highway and reached the lakes in under two hours. From there, I headed out on the climber’s trail toward the South Sister and soon went off-trail going more or less due north.

The sky started to clear about two hours into the hike:


The sketchy bridge over the outlet stream leading to the climber’s trail.


The NE side of the South Sister:


The view looking back toward Broken Top:


As I crested a moraine ridge at 8,000 feet I finally got a view of the Middle and North Sisters:


From the previous spot, I also got a good view of the summit of the South Sister:


Lots of interesting rocky outcrops - lots more up there, too:


Carver Lake, elev. 7,822':


South Sister from Carver Lake:


The rest of the upper lakes:



The views just kept coming:


A Bowling Alley as I approached the rest of the lakes:




This was difficult to get past!:




From the saddle between the S. and the M. Sister, I made as much of a beeline as I could to return to the trail system. The views never stopped:






21.4 miles, 4,300 vertical, 11 1/2 hours. The north half of the map:

Excellent trip Don! Thanks for the Photos & Map, we hiked up to the high point on Chambers Lakes last week but didn't get to Carver Lake.

I remember you said you did that many years ago

What do you think about going above Carver Lake? I did that last summer and swore to not repeat it.

Except I went to left of "bowling alley" directly to the pass, over Carver Glacier.

And I walked much closer to Carver Lake which was a mistake.

Guy wrote:Excellent trip Don! Thanks for the Photos & Map, we hiked up to the high point on Chambers Lakes last week but didn't get to Carver Lake.

Guy, thanks for the kind comments! Carver lake is kind of a bust since its so muddy - you didn't miss much. Funny thing, too, since the inlet streams looked to be crystal clear.

retired jerry wrote:I remember you said you did that many years ago

What do you think about going above Carver Lake? I did that last summer and swore to not repeat it.

Except I went to left of "bowling alley" directly to the pass, over Carver Glacier.

And I walked much closer to Carver Lake which was a mistake.

Jerry, yes, I did a hike through there in Sept. of '79 but the route was much lower elevation and we just skirted the middle lakes on the downhill side. This time I was a little above Carver lake but only a hundred feet or so. Real tough terrain - I will do it again but the route will be below Carver. Crossing Carver Glacier must have been even harder than the way I went. I don't think I want to try that! The snow fields by those lakes are dangerous - one slip and in you go.

dn

actually, Carver Glacier was easy, just a snow field that wasn't very steep. I went up the other direction and it was easy up to there

Fantastic!!
The 3 Sisters/Broken Top area is magnificent.
Loved the TR, thanks for posting it

Carver Lake is interesting:

Hydrologic hazards along Squaw Creek from a hypothetical failure of the glacial moraine impounding Carver Lake near Sisters, Oregon
1987, Laenen, Antonius; Scott, K. M.; Costa, J. E.; Orzol, L. L.
USGS Open-File Report: 87-41
http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/ofr8741

Sisters got all worked up. There was talk of draining Carver Lake partly and removing or revising the moraine dam -- possibly as much to set a precedent about wilderness as to deal with a real risk -- but the wilderness status prevailed. (Sisters does have an emergency plan ready.)

raven wrote:Carver Lake is interesting:

Hydrologic hazards along Squaw Creek from a hypothetical failure of the glacial moraine impounding Carver Lake near Sisters, Oregon
1987, Laenen, Antonius; Scott, K. M.; Costa, J. E.; Orzol, L. L.
USGS Open-File Report: 87-41
http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/ofr8741

Sisters got all worked up. There was talk of draining Carver Lake partly and removing or revising the moraine dam -- possibly as much to set a precedent about wilderness as to deal with a real risk -- but the wilderness status prevailed. (Sisters does have an emergency plan ready.)

Raven - Wow! Amazing that Carver Lake is so deep and may pose a hazard. Thanks for posting the link to the report.

dn