Three Fingered Jack tarn reflects impact of drought

I was traveling in Germany when I received an email from a reader lamenting the condition of the scenic little mountain lake, or tarn, on the eastern slopes of Three Fingered Jack. "The beautiful glacial-colored moraine lake up at the overlook spot was a sludgy mud hole that looked brown...," she said. She blamed it on this year's lack of snow and the continued hot, dry weather. I told her I would check it out when I returned to Sisters.

Interestingly, I was experiencing the same hot, dry weather in Europe. Travel guidebooks said to expect cool wet weather as the norm, and we packed accordingly. Except for one drizzly day in Cologne and some rain on the day of our departure from Budapest, every day was hot and dry, with temperatures in the 90s. Record heat and shrinking waterways that brought river commerce to a standstill were the topic of European headlines.

While winging our way home, one of the things on my mind was hiking up to see the disappointing

mud hole on Three Fingered Jack.

The last leg of our return trip flew directly over the Warm Springs fire, and we could see much of the state completely blanketed in smoke - a circumstance that would contribute to a lack of enthusiasm on the part of potential hiking partners to visit the tarn. Nevertheless, I made it up there last week, and what I found was a sharp contrast to other visits to the tarn.

Even before reaching the tarn, however, it was obvious that things were quite different from previous years. There was no snow, at all. Except for a tiny remnant, the snowfield on the flanks of Three Fingered Jack was just plain gone. Any case for the survival of the Three Fingered Jack "glacier" was quite definitely dismissed.

After struggling up the steep and loose rock of the former glacier's moraine, I could see that my friend's report on the sad condition of the tarn was quite accurate. A much shallower, brown puddle would be the best way to describe what remains of the tarn this year.

Most of the upper portion of Canyon Creek, usually fed by melting snows, was completely dry. The celebrated lush wildflower meadows of Canyon Creek were reduced to shriveled, dry, brown sticks and leaves. The occasional surviving flower, and we saw only a handful on the entire hike, was a peculiar cause for excitement. Even the ubiquitous lupine - usually still resplendent in September, or even October - was completely spent.

On the plus side of the ledger, there were many fewer hikers in the area than I am accustomed to seeing. When I was there in June, the parking area at the trailhead overflowed with more than 30 cars. Last week, only about a half-dozen were present.

Another high point of the hike was the fact that we were lucky enough to see a bear on our way out. When it saw us, the young black bear hightailed it out of there as fast as its little legs could manage.

A round-trip hike to the tarn and back is about 7.5 miles, including a loop that makes it possible to avoid retracing your steps for most of the route. The Forest Service asks that the loop be traveled clockwise to minimize contact with other hikers.

On the trail between Canyon Creek's upper and lower meadows, we spotted a cigarette butt. Not only was it unsightly litter, but it was also a reminder of the stupidity of some humans. An errant ash or smoldering ember could easily destroy one of the last unburned wilderness gems of Sisters Country.

The hike starts from a trail that wraps around the east and north shores of Jack Lake. The area near Jack Lake was badly burned in the B & B fire of 2003, and the Forest Service has done a good job of cutting the trail through the deadfalls resulting from the fire. This portion of the hike clearly illustrates the reforestation process that takes place in the wake of a forest fire.

The two-mile climb to the lower meadow takes the hiker from the burned, predominantly pine forest into an (as yet) unburned forest of fir and hemlock and has an elevation gain of only about 400 feet. Three Fingered Jack is one of the older volcanoes in the Cascade Mountain Range and is now classified as extinct. Centuries of erosion have left little more than the central hard core of solidified lava - or volcanic plug - that remains today.

To get to the Jack Lake Trailhead, take Highway 20 west from Sisters for 12 miles. Turn right onto Jack Lake Road. Stay on paved road #12 for 4.3 miles to a right-turning curve, where you make a left turn toward Jack Creek. Cross the one-lane Jack Creek Bridge and continue straight about a mile and a half until the pavement ends. Follow the sign to Jack Lake on gravel road 1234 for about another five miles to where the road ends. The Jack Lake Trailhead is a fee-use area. If you don't have a trail pass, there is a self-service kiosk. A free wilderness pass is also required and available at the trailhead.