SOUTH SISTER by mtncorg
A stiff hike - 11 miles roundtrip and 4900 feet of elevation gain will take you the the top of Oregon's third highest mountain - South Sister, 10358 feet high. From Devils Lake Trailhead on the Cascade Lakes HIghway - 6.5 miles past Mt Bachelor - you push up a forested gully for the first 1.5 miles before emerging onto a large sandy plain. South Sister looms ahead and Moraine Lake is to your right. Crossing the plain is great as South Sister gets bigger with each step. Then a mile of uphill grind to a dusty saddle lying between Lewis and Clark Glaciers. Another sandy mile up and you reach the vast crater rim. Follow the rim on the east edge to the summit. From up here you can see from Mt McLoughlin, south of Crater Lake, to Mt Rainier, far to the north.See my travellogue for a virtual climb.
