Tumalo Mountain at Sunset

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Tumalo Mountain has been a repeat destination this year for snowshoe hikes. Although clouds had started to roll in, we decided to make the trek up Tumalo and test our luck. The snow right now is soft, and deep, ideal for snowshoeing (in my opinion). The hike itself is said to be 1.8 miles from parking lot to summit, but our tracker shows 1.55 miles, and a 1,400 foot elevation gain.
I recommend going after a fresh "dumping" of snow. The trees are loaded with cotton candy like snow, and bent in ways that remind me of Whoville.
It was far too foggy and windy to stay at the summit, so we started making our way back down the mountain before sunset. About a quarter of the way down, however, the sunset colors really started to blend with the fog. What it created was simply breathtaking.

Broken Top and the Unnamed Pool

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This last weekend we decided to hike up broken top, starting at Todd Lake. The first few miles are nice and easy - not too much elevation gain, and nice scenery. The "hardest" part is crossing some of the streams without getting wet!
One we got to the Broken Top trail (3.5 miles in), the shade was essentially gone, but the wildflowers were starting to bloom! Some of the hike was really pretty, but to be honest parts were very bare and boring (no real views, flowers). There weren't many people on the trail to begin with, but everyone we saw turned around before getting to what I considered the destination...I started wondering if it was even worth going up further.
Right when I started thinking that, we came across a relatively small, but powerful, waterfall!

Wanting to know its source, we climbed up the side of the waterfall (a bit harder than it looks) and found this beautiful lake/pool (It's bigger than the photo makes it look. For an idea of its size - this is 6 photos stitched together)!

This alone would have made the hike worthwhile. The water, reflection, and rock colors are just stunning, but just a short (very steep) hike up the side revealed a gorgeous view of the 3 Sisters Mountains! Maybe I'm strange, but I just can't get enough of those mountains.

Balloons Over Bend 2013

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It's that time of year again - time to get out of bed earlier than you have to, and make your way down to Riverbend Park and watch the hot air balloon launch!
Friday night I made my way down to Farewell Bend Park and set up across from the Night Glow location. I know it might seem weird to go to a different park, but I was really trying to capture the reflections of the beautiful balloons on the river.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning around 6:30AM is when the balloons actually launch. I would recommend getting there a little early to watch the setup! Although I absolutely loved helping with the setup, chase-crew, and actually taking a balloon ride last year, it was really nice to just sit back and admire their beauty over Bend (from a distance).

Tomorrow is your last chance to see this in Bend until next year, so set your alarm a little early, make some coffee, and head on down to Riverbend Park. You won't regret it!

Sunset Over Crater Lake - Mt Scott

With an extended weekend, it seemed like the perfect time to visit Crater Lake! Less than 2 hours South of Bend, Crater Lake seemed like the perfect place to spend a little time to enjoy nature (more on that in a later post).
We did a little research before driving out, and found out that Mt. Scott is the highest point in the park, and has a great view of Crater Lake. That sounded like the perfect place to be at sunset!
I called Crater Lake ahead of time and was told the trail was closed due to snow still being on the trail...that is a lie. There were 2 very tiny mounds of snow that you could easily either walk around, or take a step over (by the time you read this, they'll probably be gone). The hike is 2.5 miles each way and rated as strenuous (personally, I don't think it deserves that difficulty rating).
We got up there about 35 minutes before sunset, and had the place to ourselves! It was so peaceful watching the setting sun without any distraction.
The sky was still a beautiful orange color as we made our way down the hiking path, only really getting dark as we got in the car. Perfect timing!

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South Sister Summit Hike

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Some people said it was too early in the year to hike South Sister, that there was too much snow to make it safely to the top. Well, I have one thing to say to those people: You're wrong!
Early Sunday morning we left Bend and drove to the Devil's Lake Trailhead. From there, it was 6.25 miles to the summit of South Sister (Oregon's 3rd highest peak). Was there snow? Heck yes. There was a lot of snow, but given the choice of snow or the cinder and scree that lies beneath, I would choose snow every time!
The view of Middle and North Sister with a little snow cover really can't be beat! It's a tough hike towards the top (right around Lewis Glacier), but just put one foot in front of the other and keep going - it's worth it!

Lewis Glacier Melt Pot/pool, near the top of South Sister. It's bigger than it looks!

For any hikers out there who want to hike to South Sister's summit in late June or early July: we didn't really need any special gear. Hiking boots and gaiters would be nice, but they're not necessary (we hiked with running shoes, nothing else). We brought crampons just in case, but they weren't needed. The last mile or so is the toughest and steepest, but at that point we were hiking on/fighting with red cinder and scree.

Tam McArthur Rim Trail

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This weekend we took advantage of the only nice day (Saturday), and hiked up the Tam McArthur Rim trail. We saw reports of snow on the trail, so I wasn't really sure how difficult the hike was going to be. As you drive up to Three Creeks Lake, you see the rim, almost majestic over the water, with mountains in the background. Yes there was snow, but it didn't look too intimidating! The first mile or so on the trail is bare and in perfect condition. There are some down trees that block the path in a few areas, but nothing you can't easily climb over or go around.

The last mile and a half is a bit trickier. The snow starts out minimal, but soon the trail is completely covered and you're essentially on your own to figure out which way to go. The trick is this: Although the trail is lost, the goal is to get up to the top area of the rim. As long as you follow around the rim, you should get to your destination.

The best viewing point on the rim! Broken top and the Three Sisters Mountains.
We hiked up a bit further to see if the view got getter, or to see if Broken Top was more visible, but this ended up being the best! It might not look like much, but the mountains look so close and huge, and the cliff/slope with the snow on it is really breathtaking! To the right is also two lakes (Three Creeks Lake and Little Three Creeks Lake). Beauty really surrounds you, and personally I think the snow adds to that!
If you're feeling adventurous, this hike is very do-able right now, or wait for the snow to melt. Both will end with amazing panoramic views!

Painted Hills - John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

Less than 2 hours out of Bend is the Painted Hills unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument (1 of 3 units). I had seen pictures of this seemingly beautiful place, but hadn't visited myself until this weekend. When you arrive, you see different beautiful shades of red, orange, gold, and even some black mixed in. The hills really do look painted - how else would they look like that? ;)
Really though, the unique colors and patterns were formed by volcanic eruptions and climate change over the past 35 million years. There are signs everywhere explaining in more detail, but honestly it's a little hard for me to grasp the whole story.
At painted hills there are multiple viewpoints, trails (about 2.75 miles total), and picnic areas. One of the most important things they stress is to stay off the exposed hills, because it takes a long time for the area to repair itself.

The colors of the hills change a lot with with time of day and moisture (I've heard the colors are very rich after some rain), but it's a stunning sight, no matter when you visit!

Clear Lake and Great Springs

*Water colors are not enhanced*
About 30 minutes West of Sisters, Oregon, is Clear Lake. Like the name suggests, the water in Clear Lake holds some very clear BLUE water! The water is very cold (around 36˚-43˚), which makes it hard for algae to thrive there. Because of that, you can see the 3,000 year old trees submerged in the lake, essentially preserved by the nearly freezing water.

On the North side of the lake is Great Springs. To get there, you can either walk along the hiking path that goes around the lake (4.6 mile loop), or rent a rowboat and paddle your way over. As you get closer to the spring, the water gets bluer and bluer. Finally you get to the little cove, and it appears that the water is flowing out of nowhere. In reality, the fresh spring water is coming from under the rocks! If you come out to Clear Lake, PLEASE go see Great Springs. You won't regret it! The beautiful blue color of the water compliments the green scenery that surrounds it in Late Spring, and the butterflies near the water are icing on the cake!

If you're looking to Spend the day out here, you can hike, boat (no motors), fish, or camp around the lake. Santiam Fish and Game regularly stocks the lake with trout, so if that's your thing - bring your fishing pole, rent a rowboat for the day ($30), and try your luck. Even if you don't catch anything, it's so beautiful you might not even care!

Mount Bachelor Hike

Do you live in Central Oregon and ski/snowboard? If so, you've probably been to Mt Bachelor. Maybe you have even taken the Summit lift to the top and enjoyed the view. I, however, do not ski or snowboard, and had never had the pleasure of enjoying the panorama from this Central Oregon treasure.  On Sunday that changed. Ski season is over, so it seemed like the perfect time to hike to the top of Mount Bachelor! We stopped in to Pine Mountain Sports and rented a set of snow trekking poles (only $5 for the whole day!), since the mountain is still covered in snow, and headed up to the mountain. From the parking area, Mt Bachelor does not seem intimidating - but the 2.5 mile hike, and 2500 foot elevation gain was not exactly what I would call easy!
I can see why people love this mountain, and am a bit jealous of those who call Bachelor home on the weekends during ski season.

Above - near the top of Bachelor. Beautiful view, but it gets better!(see how steep the hike is??)

Taken from Mt Bachelor's "true summit". Although the mountains look small/far away, that's just because of the panoramic viewpoint. In reality they are HUGE and look so close!

*If snow hiking is not your thing, the snow will eventually melt. According to Mt Bachelor's website, you can buy a chairlift ticket (adult $17/seniors $14) starting July 4th, which will take you about half way up. From there you can either hike to the top, play disk golf, eat a meal at Pine Marten Lodge, or just enjoy the beautiful views!

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Tamolitch Pool

This is part 3 (and the final part) of my McKenzie River Trail posts! 

First I want to say this: The blue in the photos is completely untouched/un-enhanced. This is how the water photographed, and it's even more beautiful in person. 

 The Tamolitch Pool (also known as the Blue Pool) is the main reason I wanted to hike along the McKenzie River. I had seen pictures of it before, and had to see if it was really that beautiful for myself. After you hike past the waterfalls, you come to a dam, and after that the river seems to dry up. The trail has dried up river beds with fallen trees, no water, and in my opinion, is a pretty ugly part of the trail. After a couple miles though, you suddenly come to this stunning blue pool where the McKenzie River starts again. The river didn't really dry up, it just went underground, and when it reappears, it is pure and COLD! The water looks inviting and refreshing, but it sits around 40˚, which makes it hard to enjoy a leisurely swim. Although the Blue Pool looks shallow, it's up to 40 feet deep, and a popular place for people to cliff jump in the Summer. We ended up doing what we called an "offroad hike" and climbed down to the water. It's a bit of a hidden path if you don't know where to go, but with good shoes is very manageable for most fitness levels.

Pictures do not do this justice! If you are in the area, pack up some lunch, make the hike, and enjoy this beautiful hidden gem. You won't regret it!