Olallie Mountain, Three Sisters Wilderness, 8/3/2013

[kelkev]

My dad and I spent a great weekend camped at Paradise Campground along the McKenzie River....my wife had to work all weekend, so my mom was kind enough to "lend" me my dad for a weekend getaway... it was a great father/son car camping trip that included a 7 mile round trip hike to the summit of Olallie Mountain on Saturday.

After a seemingly endless 14 miles of gravel road above Cougar Reservoir, we finally reached the trailhead at the well signed Pat Saddle parking lot. The first 2 miles are gently graded, traversing a steep ridge and meandering through deep forest with limited views. The trail then reaches a junction where a spur heads more steeply up to the summit, but it's never brutally steep. Tons of beargrass line the trail, almost obscuring it in many places. We also passed through 2 huge meadows filled with masses of blooming Coneflower, more than I've ever seen before. Finally the trail steepens more and switchbacks up to the summit, where an aging and failing lookout building commands an awesome view of the uncut forests west of the 3 Sisters. The lookout is apparently about to be re-roofed, as there are several bundles of cedar roof shingles inside, plus someone has framed a support wall to help hold the roof structure up. The walls are bowing out, but the glass panes are 99% intact. She's in rough shape, but looks like the future is promising.

This was one of those hikes that was rewarding for a couple of reasons - - one being the fact that I'm a huge lookout buff, and the other being that I shared it with my dad. I am a fortunate son to have grown up hiking countless miles with him, and I am blessed that we are still making memories on the trails today. I'm 46 and he's 69. And still happily hiking!

Kevin

[justpeachy]

Cool, thanks for sharing! That lookout looks to be in sad shape. Glad that they're working on some repairs!

[kelkev]

Very sad shape indeed - I'm hoping that the roof gets mended this summer, and perhaps the shutters can be repaired and reattached to protect the windows. But still inspiring to see one of these left in any shape after 75 years on top of a mountain. Maybe there is some kind of restoration or maintenance plan underway, that would be a good thing. I know Rebel Rock needs some TLC as well.

Kevin

[justpeachy]

I asked the Sand Mountain Society if they were the ones who were preparing to restore this lookout. They were....back in 2010. They hauled the supplies and materials up there and shored up that one wall. Before they could do any further work Wilderness Watch sued the Forest Service regarding the Green Mountain lookout in Washington (more info here and here). So the Forest Service asked the Sand Mountain Society not to do any further work at Olallie pending the outcome of the Green Mountain lawsuit.

[kelkev]

Cheryl, thanks a bunch for the information - - I guess nothing surprises me anymore. I'll keep my political views to myself, but I'm pretty sure you can guess how that lawsuit makes me feel. A historic lookout that has been in place for around 75 years has done nothing to detract from any wilderness experience, period. Truth be told, old historic lookouts in wilderness areas (the few that remain) pose no threat to any wilderness experience I can think of. I have a feeling that some of these interest groups would be happier if public access to many wilderness areas was severely restricted or banned altogether.

Too bad the opposing sides can't just respect each other, be civil, and compromise. Yeah, right.

May Olallie live long enough to see a new roof and more, and the Sand Mountain Society be allowed to preserve part of our nation's heritage, wilderness area or not.

Kevin

[retired jerry]

I think wilderness areas are great, but I don't see a problem restoring historic structure.

Or using chainsaws in a limited way - like on non busy weekdays with notice ahead of time...

[kelkev]

I think wilderness areas are great, but I don't see a problem restoring historic structure.

Or using chainsaws in a limited way - like on non busy weekdays with notice ahead of time...

I'm with you, Jerry. Imagine how much easier it would be to log out a trail with hundreds of windfalls (like what's happening in the B&B burn area). Tough to experience wilderness if you can't access it.

[justpeachy]

I think wilderness areas are great, but I don't see a problem restoring historic structure.

Or using chainsaws in a limited way - like on non busy weekdays with notice ahead of time...

Agreed. I'm all for wilderness areas and for protecting them, but sometimes I think groups like Wilderness Watch go overboard. I don't have a problem with the one-time use of a helicopter to keep an historic lookout from tumbling off a mountain. I DO have a problem with the noisy tour helicopters buzzing all over Glacier National Park every day during the summer.