Patjens Lakes Trail is a good opportunity for a marriage proposal

Now that the snow is clearing out of the high country, new hiking opportunities are opening up with each passing week. One hike at the top of my to-do list for this year was the loop trail into the Patjens Lakes.

The last time I hiked into the Patjens Lakes, I was single, 21 years old, and about to enter into active duty with the U.S. Coast Guard during the Viet Nam War. When I hiked back out that day, one of those things had changed. I was engaged. That was over 40 years ago, so I was definitely overdue for a return visit.

The Patjens Lakes are located near the top of Santiam Pass behind Hoodoo Mountain Resort. Since they are over the Cascade Crest, this is part of the Willamette National Forest. The trail takes off from Big Lake and follows a six-mile loop through a beautiful - and unburned - mixed conifer forest.

The average elevation of this hike is around 4,600 feet. Published trail information usually rates this hike as "easy," and mentions a 400-foot elevation gain. There isn't any mention, however, of how many times the 400 feet are climbed. This really is an easy hike; but it does seem like the trail has more ups and downs than advertised.

Among the many wildflowers we saw, the most prominent was Indian bear grass. Current editions of wildflower books have dropped the "Indian" but still note that Native Americans continue to use the plant leaves in basket making.

This trail sees a lot of horse traffic, so it's very well defined and even worn down below ground level in places. Park your car at the trailhead near the campgrounds, and start hiking. After a few hundred yards, the trail forks; and a sign points both ways to the Patjens Lakes. We went to the right, following the loop counter-clockwise. Choosing this route saves the lake scenery for the latter half of the hike.

The forest includes lodgepole, whitebark, and white pines, quite a bit of hemlock, and most of Oregon's true firs, including white, grand, Pacific silver, noble, and sub-alpine. The first part of this hike follows a marshy drainage area, and later offers filtered views of the Three Sisters and some of the west side's more prominent foothills.

At about the halfway point of the hike, just before the lakes, there are lush meadows of bracken ferns and a very impressive grove of old Douglas firs; and if you read this column regularly, you probably know by now that these are not "true" firs. In fact, the species puzzled botanists for over three quarters of a century (1791-1867) until plant scientists came up with a new genus, Pseudotsuga, meaning "false hemlock."

The first, and smallest, of the Patjens Lakes is the only one to appear on the right side of the trail; and, in the course of the next mile, the trail passes all four. Henry Patjens was a Sherman County sheep rancher who grazed his animals on these mountain grasses that greened up as soon as the snow retreated. During the late 19th Century and the early 20th, it is estimated that Patjens and his fellow ranchers drove as many as 50,000 sheep into the area each summer.

Driving sheep through the town of Sisters clogged our streets long before driving tourists did, and Sisters was the principal resupply site for the sheep ranchers all through the summer. In the fall, the sheep were driven back through Sisters to their winter ranges, some as far away as Antelope and Shaniko.

In 1903, Shaniko was billed as the "Wool Capital of the World." Wool was shipped out by rail in five-hundred-pound bags, and much of that wool was nourished in the mountains near Sisters. Timing of the sheep drives was very important. Occasionally, early season snow caught the sheep still in the mountains, and losses could be heavy.

Today, these out-of-the-way lakes are an excellent place to take a break from hiking for lunch. Oh, and did I mention it's also a great place for a marriage proposal?

This year, we made the trip in early July, at the peak of the mosquito season, and stopping didn't seem like such a good idea; so we made the circuit in less than three hours. By this time, however, the bug situation should have improved a bit. Nevertheless, bring plenty of insect repellent.

All along this stretch by the lakes, take note of the trail blazes hacked into the tree trunks. In the "old days" this was the accepted way for "trailblazers" to mark trails in the wilderness, but the practice has largely fallen out of favor. These days, we usually see Trailblazers only on the basketball court.

When the last of the lakes is reached, you're on the final stretch of this hike. From there, it's about a mile and a half back to the shore of Big Lake and another mile along the scenic shoreline back to the trailhead parking lot at the campground. Be sure to take the time to enjoy the views of Hoodoo and Hayrick Buttes and, of course, Mt. Washington.

To propose marriage, or just to enjoy a pleasant hike in the wilderness, take Highway 20 west from Sisters to the top of Santiam Pass. Turn left at the signs to Hoodoo and Big Lake, and drive about four miles to the trailhead.

As of early July, there were no signs demanding trail fees; but, since over half the hike is inside the Mt. Washington Wilderness Area, a wilderness permit is required. Permits are free and self-issued at the trailhead.