Soap Creek hike a little known treat

"Wow! This is the best hike of the year!" Those were the words spoken by a member of our party after we reached the crest of the last glacial moraine separating us from the eastern base of the North Sister.

We set out on this hike not really knowing what to expect. None of us had been into this area before. One trail book reports the trail to be "faint and unmarked," and it doesn't show up at all on most maps. We expected a lot of bushwhacking and route searching, but none of that materialized.

What we did find was a very well-defined climbing trail following a beautiful, clear creek through an alpine forest with magnificent views. Soap Creek supposedly earned its name from white glacial silt, but that was certainly not the case on this occasion.

Since the trail is not maintained, there were a few fallen trees to skirt; and the trail was hard to follow in a few rocky and sandy spots. The flowers were nearly all gone to seed, and this would be a superior wildflower hike in early August; but it's pretty darn spectacular right now!

The North Sister is the rockiest and roughest of the three, and this hike really shows the mountain off in all its grandeur. The trail takes off from the popular Pole Creek Springs Trailhead southwest of Sisters, and the first two miles is on that principal route. At Soap Creek, however, this little adventure becomes - with apologies to Robert Frost - the "road less traveled."

This somewhat unknown trail is easily spotted and takes off at the base of a fairly large, dead, tilting and barkless tree just a couple hundred feet short of the Soap Creek crossing. We left a small pile of stones at the base of the tree; but, if you miss it, it's no big deal because the creek is a nice place for a break after about an hour on the trail. Just backtrack a bit when your break is over.

The forest along this trail is pretty open and becomes more so as the alpine climate zone takes full control. There are a few steep spots, but you're always within earshot of the creek, so it's hard to get lost. Going may be slow because you'll want to keep stopping to admire the picturesque creek coursing its way down the mountain.

As the climb continues, a spectacular view of the North Sister opens up. We were tempted to stop here but were glad we didn't. The trail supposedly ends 2.3 miles from the main trail, which - I guess - is where it peters out in a sandy open area a little farther along. We climbed one of the moraine ridges on the left for a lunch break.

After lunch, we set out to explore and continued farther up the mountain, with each of us taking turns as the one who wanted to go farther. Finally, we headed up a gully with a huge round boulder poised as if ready to roll after Indiana Jones. We worked our way up the moraine on the right and into a thicket of stunted whitebark pines.

This last (optional) portion was a tough scramble that definitely moved this from a "moderate" hike and into the difficult range. Finally, we worked our way into the open, and nothing remained between us and the base of the mountain. It was then that the quote at the beginning of this was uttered. We lingered, took pictures, and tried to avoid leaving.

By this time, it was edging into late afternoon, and we knew it was time to go. We took one last look at the North Sister and were surprised to see a bank of clouds billowing over the north shoulder of the mountain and coming at us like a vaporous avalanche. Yes, it was time to head back.

We spent about a half hour carefully picking our way down a shorter route that led into the same drainage system where we last saw the trail. If you choose to venture past the end of the trail as we did, be sure to check your bearings so you can find your way back. The return took us less than two hours from the time we picked up the trail again. The entire hike was a little over six hours, and we were all very pleased with the hike we had chosen.

To make this same choice for a hike, take the McKenzie Pass Highway just past Sisters High School. Turn left at the Pole Creek Springs sign, and follow Forest Road 15 about 11 miles to its end. This is a fee area, and daily passes are $5 at the trailhead. Free wilderness permits are also required.