 |
| North Sister from Traverse |
 |
| Painted Wild |
The Super Tuesday hike today was a combination of peaks, South Sister with a traverse to North Sister. The group of hikers traveled out Mack's Canyon Road which begins just past the Sawmill Picnic Area off of Lee Canyon Highway. At the end of the road, they got out of the cars and the adventure began. Mike OC and Larry D. provide photos, GPS information and a narrative of the day. Thanks, guys, and well done!
Nine indefatigable hikers, 75
delightful degrees, one babbling brook, two not-so-wild horses and two
towering sisters high above us.
 |
| Hiking Up Through the Columbines |
 |
| Mike's New Friend |
That
was the setting at the Mack Canyon Campground at 7:30 in the morning on
the second day of July. It was also our starting point to visit those
Limestone Ladies---the all-too-familiar South Sister and her elusive
sibling, the indomitable North Sister.
The morning chitchat ended
abruptly 20 minutes into the hike. The mountain was the only one
talking--"I'm steep and I'm in-your-face. Pay attention." We did. And
on a day when valley temps would soar well north of the 110-mark, we
basked in 80-degree sunshine and a cool breeze atop South Sister. One
down, one to go.
 |
| Hiking the Summit of South Sister |
 |
| South Sister Summit Meeting |
Gazing toward her sibling, North Sister looked ever so
close. Piece of cake, eh? Wrong.
The route to North Sister was
anything but intuitive, but Larry & Paul both had copious notes and
reliable GPS coordinates. We stopped to get our bearing occasionally as
the terrain challenged us all the way.
 |
| Shadowplay (Who's the Ballerina?) |
 |
| Starting Traverse from South Sister |
Mostly Class 3 stuff with a
couple dicey spots. But the cadre was up to the task and in no time we
were enjoying the panorama from atop North Sister. Mummy, Charlie,
Mack's, McFarland, Bonanza. They surrounded us.
 |
| Under This Rock |
 |
| Down This Cliff |
If our ascent was steep and
daunting, the descent down the backside of the mountain was a veritable
free fall. Hazards everywhere: Slippery slope, falling rocks and
phantom ankle-grabbers. Everything was out to get us. Many arms and
legs were leaking blood.
But
the biggest shocker of all was checking the GPS at the conclusion of
the hike. A mere 4.1 miles in an agonizing five hours. Perhaps that
2400 feet of vertical played a role. Thanks for having us over, ladies. ~MOC
 |
| Jump Down This Rock |
 |
| Ta-Dah! North Sister Summit at Last! |
1 comment:
Outstanding reportage! Thanks, Kay. It's almost as if you were with us! We wish you had been. It was a good hike. ...Larry
Post a Comment