News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 51 - 75 of 363
Although we're seeing trails opening up in the high country, it's still worth taking note of alternative areas that are (nearly) all-season hiking destinations. After all, not every day lends itself to a high mountain expedition. The Badlands Wilderness east of Bend is always a great place to get out and do some free-range roaming. The Oregon Badlands Wilderness is a fairly recent addition to our nation's wilderness areas and was officially established in 2009 by President Bar... Full story
Time is short for the public to weigh in on a U.S. Forest Service reservation system that could severely limit future use of wilderness areas in local National Forests. If implemented, the system would affect all wilderness areas in Sisters Country. Last month, citing increasing user pressure and dwindling resources, the Forest Service published notice of a 30-day comment period for the "Central Cascades Wilderness Strategies Project," which would affect wilderness areas in... Full story
Springtime in Sisters? Well, yes; but, according to the Sisters High Desert Chorale, it's also "Singtime in Sisters!" That's what the chorale hit upon for the title of their annual free, spring concerts for the community, which will be conducted next week on May 18 and 20. "The music for this year's spring concert is as whimsical and eclectic as a Central Oregon springtime," said the group's director, Connie Gunterman. "Musically we offer a little bit of everything and there are sure to be favorites for everyone. We continue... Full story
Hikers are reporting an inordinate number of ticks on the loose as the spring hiking season begins to take shape. Since ticks can carry a number of diseases, including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease, it makes sense to learn how to avoid these obnoxious little critters. The former disease is more common east of the Rockies but is not unknown in Oregon. Lyme disease, however, is a malady that can pose a greater danger in our area. Even so, the disease is both... Full story
The Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) announced that Jeff Kitchens, Deschutes field office manager for the Bureau of Land Management, Prineville District, will be the speaker for the March installment of the Bjarne Holm Speaker Series. His topic will be: "About the Lands No One Else Wanted - The Story of Our Public Lands." Over the last four years, STA has sponsored a series of public talks focused on local outdoor recreation and natural resource issues. The Bjarne Holm Speaker... Full story
As is often the case, I planned an extensive vacation trip for late fall to escape the dreary days between hiking and skiing seasons. I returned, however, only to find that the snow season has yet to materialize. So, my hiking friend and I have been out on the trails again; and I've had quite a bit of feedback that indicates we are far from alone in making some lemonade out of a lemon of a snow season. In November of 2016, we were snowed out of a planned hike in the Badlands... Full story
The Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) is off to a quick start in 2018 with their first public speaking presentation of the new year on Thursday, January 18. The speaker will be the Deschutes National Forest's new ranger for the Sisters Ranger District, Ian Reid. Although new to the Sisters area, Reid has deep roots in Oregon and with the National Forest Service. He will be discussing future plans for the Sisters Ranger District, impacts of the recent fire season, the role of... Full story
I wasn't planning for our first hike of 2018 to be in January, and I certainly didn't expect it to be at higher elevations. At least, that was the case until the new Sisters District Ranger, Ian Reid, told me about his family's New Year's Eve climb of Black Butte. "I will say one of the few benefits of this low-snow year is being to able to access some hikes we normally wouldn't get to this time of year," Reid said, as he told me about his family's Black Butte outing last week... Full story
One of my hiking friends recently contacted me to share an unusual, and unforeseen, injury that occurred during a hike. Most of us are aware of, and recognize, the danger presented by heatstroke; but very few people seem to be aware of another very serious danger that lurks in the hot sun. I certainly wasn't; and, as it turns out, first responders who arrived on scene weren't aware either. As if the dangers directly presented by heatstroke were not enough, a Sisters-area... Full story
The Dee Wright Observatory, the lava-rock "castle" at the summit of McKenzie Pass, is one of those iconic features of our area that we often show off to visiting friends and family. The observatory was completed in 1935 as a Depression-era project of the Civilian Conservation Corps. It was named for the project's construction foreman, who died before it was completed. The structure, with its mountain-spotting windows and self-guiding nature trail that features volcanic... Full story
When a friend recently asked me what I knew about Roaring Spring near Camp Sherman, my answer was, "Nothing" - so we decided to do something to remedy that. It took a fair amount of Googling and map research to locate even the general area. As it turned out, that information was only good enough to get us close. But that was fine; we are always up for a little exploration. Roaring Spring is about a half mile northwest of Sheep Springs Horse Camp, which is three miles due west... Full story
For students interested in learning about geology in the Oregon Cascades, one solution is to sign up for a geology course - at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU)! For the past 20 years, Warner Cribb, Professor of Geology and Chair of the Department of Geological Sciences at MTSU has been leading his students on geological expeditions in the Cascade mountains. Much of the course work in Prof. Cribb's classes revolves around vulcanology, and volcanoes are in short supply... Full story
The Lake Creek Trail from Suttle Lake to Camp Sherman has been in existence for seven years, but is still somewhat off the radar for many local hikers. This is a convenient, well-defined - and mostly unburned - forest outing that requires little advance planning. At about 4.5 miles in length, the trail comprises a very easy walk in the woods that is still long enough to make it feel like a worthwhile accomplishment. The western terminus of the trail can be found near Suttle... Full story
While waiting for the local high country to open up after our big snow year, I did a bit of trail wandering in more accessible areas. Exploring this part of the Lower Metolius River is hardly a challenging adventure; but, if you haven't visited this stretch of the river, it's worth your time to see where our iconic and scenic local waterway morphs into a truly big and powerful river. Below Camp Sherman, the Metolius is joined by First, Jack, Canyon, Abbot, Candle and... Full story
In the never-ending quest to enjoy outdoor activities while waiting for the snowed-in high country to open up, an email from a friend prompted this little adventure. The email contained three photos of Fish Lake, a peculiar body of water near Clear Lake that doesn't even exist for part of the year. It was time to break out the kayaks. When it's early in the season, as it is now, water is abundant and Fish Lake overflows into Fish Lake Creek, which flows into Clear Lake. By summer's end, however, both Fish Lake and the creek... Full story
Earlier this spring, the Deschutes Land Trust made yet another land purchase to add to its growing list of protected lands in the Deschutes River Basin. With the addition of the Willow Springs Preserve, the Land Trust's "Campaign for Whychus Creek" continues to steadily build momentum. The Land Trust's newest preserve brings another 130 acres and an additional mile of Whychus Creek under its protective umbrella. Just upstream of, and nearly adjacent to, their... Full story
With all the snow we've had this past winter, it looks likely that the mountain trails are still several weeks away from opening up. So, the Badlands Wilderness east of Bend is a great place to get out and do some free-range roaming. The Oregon Badlands Wilderness is a fairly recent addition to our nation's wilderness areas and was officially established in 2009 by President Barack Obama. For this hike, we selected a 7.7-mile loop beginning at the Badlands Rock Trailhead. As... Full story
The Sisters Bridge Club is quite literally expanding its horizons. Last month, the local group of card-players took their card-playing skills to the Caribbean on the club's first-ever bridge cruise. Although the Sisters Bridge Club has been around for decades, it was on life support until a few years ago, when membership suddenly exploded into the vibrant group that it is today. The Club's current organizer, Susan Sandberg, is a frequent cruiser and thought it would be fun to... Full story
Matthew Shinderman, Senior Natural Resources Instructor at Oregon State University Cascades, will be the guest speaker next week on Thursday, 23 March, for the Bjarne Holm Memorial Speaker Series. This series of outdoor oriented talks is sponsored by the Sisters Trails Alliance (STA). "I'll be discussing what sustainability means and how the concept relates to the development of trail and recreation management systems on national forests," said Shinderman. His emphasis will... Full story
Last month, a snowboarder's death in Washington state once again focused attention on the backcountry danger posed by tree wells. It was reported that Nathan Redberg died after falling head-first into a tree well at the 49 Degrees North ski area north of Spokane. Redberg and his 9-year-old son were reportedly about 100 feet from a groomed ski run at the time of the incident. The son, who unsuccessfully attempted to extricate his father, sought ski patrol assistance; but, even... Full story
Last week, the Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) held their annual meeting, hosted by Sisters Art Works, to review accomplishments from 2016 and look forward into the upcoming year. "It was a good year for STA!" said Catherine Hayden, STA's new board chair, as she opened the meeting. Established 16 years ago, the STA has grown to become a principal advocate and facilitator of outdoor recreation in the Sisters area. An all-volunteer organization, it is dedicated to the planning, construction and maintenance of non-motorized... Full story
Mountain bike trail advocate Mike Ripley will be the guest speaker next week for the Bjarne Holm Memorial Speaker Series, which is put on by the Sisters Trails Alliance (STA). Ripley, owner and operator of Mudslinger Events, will speak on trail advocacy from the perspective of someone who puts on a variety of trail events every year. He typically organizes about 13 mountain bike events per year. For example, in just the next few months, some of those events will include the Mu... Full story
Volunteers with the Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) have spent the past few weeks "Getting Plowed." Yes, it's true; and they are inviting others to "Get Plowed," too! For some time now, members of this community-centered organization have been volunteering their time - and a great big red snowplow - to help plow out people stranded by the huge dump of snow that has arrived in Sisters Country. Kris Calvin, together with Michael Grant, Jardon Weems, and Mark Thompson, has spent... Full story
The Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) has honored the late Bjarne Holm by bestowing his name on the speaker series he founded. The chairman of STA's Board of Directors, Chuck Humphreys, announced, "The STA has decided to name the speaker series, which Bjarne created and managed since 2014, the Bjarne Holm Memorial Speaker Series." Holm passed away after an unexpected short illness. He had a strong personal interest in our ecosystems, both globally and locally; and he drew upon... Full story
With winter weather fast approaching, and with early snow already staking a claim at higher elevations, this is a good time to think about alternatives for this "shoulder" portion of the hiking season. Four years ago last month, volunteers put the finishing touches on a new hiking trail on Black Butte. The "new" trail, however, was actually the re-engineering of a very old one. Black Butte has been used as a principal Central Oregon fire lookout since 1910; and, back in those... Full story
