News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 60 - 84 of 363
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
Skylight Cave is a relatively large and fairly accessible lava tube about 10 miles west of town. I suppose I will get some complaints for publicizing it, but I have confidence that my readers are responsible stewards of the natural wonders that make Sisters Country the wonderful place it is. Lava tubes form during a volcanic eruption when the outer surface of a lava flow cools and hardens, but the molten rock below the surface remains liquid and flowing. Sometimes, the lava... Full story
It's always a treat to try new adventures, especially one as scenic and close to home as this one. Lately, my column has focused on short and middle-distance hikes. At 13.3 miles, however, today's hike offers the serious hiker more of a challenge. This little adventure starts at the Scott Trail Trailhead on the McKenzie Highway, just a few miles west of McKenzie Pass. This route combines with the popular Obsidian Trail, to make one of the most scenic hikes imaginable. At a... Full story
Last week, the U.S. Forest Service hosted a meeting of the Sisters Trail Users Group (S-TUG). According to S-TUG's mission statement, the group's periodic meetings are designed to "bring together a diverse array of trail enthusiasts from Sisters and the surrounding communities ... to communicate, coordinate, and collaborate on any trail planning management topics of interest..." The "trail enthusiasts" were represented by S-TUG members that include hikers, bicyclists,... Full story
I am frequently asked to name my favorite hike, and that's a really difficult task. On the other hand, I have an unhesitating response if someone asks me, "We only have half a day, where can I take my friends on a hike to show them the best of our area?" The answer to that question is a no-brainer. I tell them to hike the Matthieu Lakes Trail, a pleasant outing in the Three Sisters Wilderness that does not involve a major expedition. It's a great hike for people who aren't rea... Full story
Tuyas are relatively rare and unusual geological features that are found in exotic cold-climate locations such as far northern British Columbia, Iceland, Antarctica, and Tuva, Russia, near the Siberia-Mongolian border. If you don't want to go that far to see one, there is one other place on the planet where they can be found that is not quite so hard to reach. You can simply drive up to Santiam Pass. Hayrick Butte and Hogg Rock are two classic examples of an unusual... Full story
Based on input from many readers, there is quite a bit of interest in short- to mid-length hikes to wilderness destinations. With a round trip of only about four easy miles, the hike to Cabot Lake certainly qualifies. This gentle, well-maintained trail has only some slight ups and downs, with negligible elevation change. Almost all of this hike is within the boundaries of the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness Area. Hikers enter the wilderness only a couple of hundred yards from the... Full story
There is more than one way to get to Hand Lake, and the first time I visited the site, it was near the end of a 10-mile hike. Today's version is a lot shorter and much more direct. The quickest in-and-out version is only about a mile round trip. For this hike, however, we took an interesting historical side trip around the lake for what was still a relatively short hike of about three miles. The Hand Lake Trailhead is just a half hour from Sisters over McKenzie Pass. The... Full story
It didn't take long for word to get out about the new accessible trail south of town on the Three Creek Road. Just a few weeks after the formal dedication of the Whychus Overlook, the new feature was already seeing new users for whom the project was intended. John Schubert, a former Forest Service employee, was one of those involved in the planning and construction of the project; and he mentioned the new trail to his neighbor, Nancy Stevens, who is blind. "I was so intrigued... Full story
There are many people in the area now who were not here when the B & B Fire burned nearly 100,000 acres in 2003. The scars at Santiam Pass are still quite evident, and the forest's full recovery is still generations away. To fully appreciate that recovery, it is necessary to examine it up close. A good way to view the fire's aftermath is to hike from Santiam Pass to Square Lake. This is a relatively short hike, less than 2.5 miles each way, with a few moderate ups and downs... Full story
