South Sister - 8/17/17

South Sister from Big Tree Saddle

McFarland Peak from Scree Climb

Midst of Scree Climb

Hiking past the Old Mill Picnic Area

 The Sisters Ridge rises to the west of Lee Canyon Road with Black Sister being the northern most. Next is the diminutive White Sister then the bold North Sister. Finally, on the southern end of the ridge rises the twin peaks of South Sister. South Sister is the most accessible of the sisters and is a classic hike in the Spring Mountains NRA. The hike is sometimes very steep while gaining 2000 elevation feet in only 2.75 miles. And, to complete the hike to the peak ridge, a 3rd class scramble must be accomplished above a precipitous cliff. Nine hikers arrived for the challenge.

The Old Mill Trail

 In the recent past, due to the construction of the Old Mill Picnic Area, we have begun this hike from the Lower Bristlecone Trailhead. This requires an annoying climb at the end of a strenuous hike.

Spring Sign on South Sister Trail

 Today, we began the hike from Lee Canyon Road across from the Old Mill Picnic Area entrance. We circled around the traffic circle, then parked on the right side of the road where there is a wide area to get off the pavement.

Into the Steep Stuff

Waiting for Kay at South Sister Saddle

 We crossed Lee Canyon Road and hiked up past the pay phone where we used to park for this hike years ago. The pavement leads up into the hills past the picnic area. Don't try to use the restrooms. They are locked. (Dirty hikers keep out!) The picnic area is privately managed and demands a large sum to reserve a spot. Thus, locked restrooms. As the pavement climbs the hill, there is a gravel trail that junctions off to the right. This is the Old Mill Trail. We turned onto this trail and followed it until the terrain opened out into a pine glade to the right.

Looking Back toward Charleston Peak

 Here, a wooded trail forks to the right and we started our climb up South Sister Trail passing the old home foundation, the spring sign and the concrete spring structure.

Contorted Old Bristlecone on Ridge Climb

 The trail gets steeper and steeper but the canyon wash is beautiful and calm. The trail is fairly easy to follow except for one area where the trail forks into another wash to the right. There are a lot of fallen trees in this area that you might need to step over.

Setsuko

Waiting for Kay near Big Tree Saddle

 Finally, after a steep finale, we reached the South Sister Saddle and sat for a small rest. We could see the back of Charleston Peak from the remaining route. Next, we turned to the right and began a balanced climb up a rounded ridge. There is no trail here since everyone has their own way of dealing with the ascent. At the top of this ridge and to the right, there is a saddle with a large leafless tree. Behind the tree, South Sister rises. See the first photo of the entry. All around this area, the rock scree is colored a sort of white/red/orange.

Phase 3 Circling Ridge

 After another small rest, we turned to the right and continued following the ridge which was now circling around to meet the final peak ascent.

Circling around to Scree Climb

 The circling ridge has a few ups and downs but is definitely the easiest section of the hike. It is also very pretty with wide views of Lee Canyon and decorations of limestone and bristlecones.

Starting up Scree

Near top of Scree

 The final ascent to the twin peaks is "in your face" scree. The beauty of the climb offsets the struggle. Old krummholtz bristlecones protrude through the scree throughout. The view to the right passes limestone outcroppings and cliffs. (See third photo of entry.) The view to the left is also a cliff with McFarland Peak rising in the distance. (See second photo of this entry.) Over the years, a clear choice of trails has emerged. This has, at least, given the newbies a fighting chance! At some points, use of hands might be required to keep balance.

A View Back Down

 The view back down the slope is very impressive! Be sure to bring one or two hiking sticks for the descent.

Waiting for Kay below Scramble

 Yep. The strong group was waiting for the writer for a third time when we gathered at the top ridge between the twin peaks.

South Sister (L), North Sister (R), Black Sister (Beyond R)

Somewhat Scary Scramble

 The actual high point of South Sister is to the right, at this point. However, the left peak is definitely the more fun peak to climb and it holds the log book. So, we turned to our left and climbed the classic 3rd class scramble up to the peak ridge above the cliffs. It is somewhat scary but, if you work past this point, the reward is a walk along a narrow limestone ridge with 360 degree views. North Sister is clearly seen below to the north and Black Sister can be seen beyond that. Charleston, Lee, McFarland, Macks, and Mummy's head anatomy are also peaks that can be seen from here.

Peak Ridge

 At the end of the peak ridge, we sat for our snack break, wrote in the log book and took a few photos. It was a beautiful clear cool day.

Hiking to End of Ridge

 When it was time to start the descent, we made the decision to not visit the other of the two peaks like we do sometimes.

Enjoying the Summit

Charleston Peak from End of Peak Ridge

 The scree descent was very slow and careful then we made our way around the circling ridge. When we reached the Big Tree Saddle, we turned to the left and warned everyone to stay balanced on the ridge. This is the most difficult section to navigate on the return. Today, we did just fine. At the South Sister Saddle, we paused then started down the trail. No stops were made from here until we reached the cars. It was really nice not to have to climb that hill back to the Lower Bristlecone Trail! Great classic hike!

5.5 miles; 2000 feet elevation gain; 3.75 hours

Descending the Somewhat Scary Scramble

Returning to the Big Tree Saddle (Macks Peak to Right)

Cooling down at the Old Mill Picnic Area