A beautiful morning as I weaved through the Sisters: big trees, lupine-filled meadows, sunlight shining off snowfields on the peaks above.
Also a bit of wildlife
The trail climbed up to a nice little waterfall, then crossed into the “Obsidian Limited Entry Zone”. Hikers are allowed to pass through, but have to stay on the trail corridor, and no camping.
True to its name, the area has extensive outcrops of obsidian. No doubt humans have come here for millennia to exploit this resource, and left any number of artifacts behind.
The late morning sun caused the volcanic glass to sparkle, shooting rays of light from the trail and from nearby outcrops. Tried to catch the effect on video, but I think the camera software suppresses the sparkle effect.
There was a mile of serious blowdowns , and then a climb through lava fields on the flanks of Middle Sister.
The last 4 miles were burns and then another lava walk to McKenzie Pass. The lava rocks are loose, uneven and rough, making for slow going. And for hot sweaty walking on a cloudless day. Can’t say I really enjoyed this.
Of more concern, I’m worried that my shoes are not going to make it as far as I expected to Trout L, will ask Cathy to send the new ones to Cascade Locks.