Oregon Homecoming- Broken Top Hike

Today begins my third week back in Oregon. It's also back to school season, the dog days of summer, and time to start unpacking everything from the road trip.

Three thousand photos, a box of ephemera, well-worn guidebooks, and a tan that I never thought I could acquire. Reintegration into normalcy has been a bit exhausting, but it's also exciting. I am not going back to the old life I had in Portland, instead, I am building a new life in Hood River.

There's a definite melancholy to be off the road and to have left the truck behind in Montana. I'm totally overwhelmed with setting up the new house, getting the Portland house ready to sell, looking for a new car (Subie-Doo isn't going to last the winter), looking for a job, and ridding myself of all the stagnant trappings of a life that held me back. But! 

When you've been living in a tiny box on wheels, the world outside is so limitless and your possibilities abound. When you have a house and town to call home, the inside world becomes big and encompassing while the horizon becomes distant. The trick is not to let your perspective get too small.

I want to keep that Big Sky feeling in my mind even when what I see in front of me is clouded with obligation.

And that's why it was so great to get out this weekend and hike up Broken Top in the Oregon Cascades. 

Broken Top is about the easiest mountain you can climb with zero conditioning. Ben, Ollie, and I have effectively zero mountain conditioning. Sure, we can climb some rocks and do day hikes, but I struggle to remember the last actual backpacking trip I've done-- I think it was when Ben, Dave, and I got rained out trying Broken Top last October. So this little trip ended up being Ollie's first backpacking trip, Ben's first glaciated peak, and my first backpacking trip of 2016-- not too bad for us slackers!

 As per usual, the Green Lakes Trail provided some pretty wildflowers.

 First views of South Sister, getting close to the campground.

 Ollie enjoyed having her backpack off and the ability to run with wild abandon. She had yet to realize she would be hiking for two more days.

 Afternoon view of the next day's mission.

 Ben hiking into our campsite. I carried the rope all the way in so he set up camp and boiled water for dinner. This is a combination I can work with!

 We slept in, started at a comfortable hour, and trudged upward, eventually ending up on a foolproof ridgeline.

 Ben scrambling up to the summit.

 Taking a minute to enjoy summit views.

Since we foolishly carried a rope and gear all the way up, we invented a rappel station and occupied ourselves with a few minutes of amusement.

Ollie got some alpine cuddles and fell asleep in Ben's lap. She wasn't a fan of hiking back, maybe one day she will lean to budget her energy.

An unexpected surprise of the trip was that we ran into friends along the way! Just outside of the Green Lakes campground, we stumbled across Dawn, a friend we made through the Mazamas. Dawn and her friend Linda had plans to climb Broken top the next morning. We shared some time at the summit together and pine needle tea that evening. It was really great to catch up and see everyone smiling.

We didn't set alarms the next morning and clocked in almost ten hours of sleep. Our hike out was pleasant and lunch in Bend was satisfying. It is very nice to be in such a dog-friendly state after traveling this summer. We didn't have to worry about having to leave Ollie in a hot car or tied up far from us, she was able to nap happily at our feet while Ben and I split a beer and ate our lunch. Back in Hood River we felt a little stiff but altogether very fine. Ollie has been sleeping nonstop, but occasionally will move from the couch to the floor. Pretty sure she had the most fun of all of us.

It was incredibly fun and relaxing to go on such an easy but rewarding mission. Good views and great people make for a real pleasant weekend. Definitely not going to haul up a rope and gear next time-- will save that pack space for more snacks and maybe an inflatable raft to take on the lake.

I think with a bit more conditioning, the three of us can go on more alpine missions. Objectives with mellow approaches and a few pitches of 5.fun climbing are totally doable. Gotta find that happy compromise that satisfies everyone.