Wednesday, August 5, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
HIKE: Trails offer
variety of options
for hikers
Continued from page 11
is to simply follow Canyon
Creek and return to the trail-
head. To add one of the pre-
viously mentioned extended
segments of the hike, simply
continue to follow the trail
uphill into the upper meadow,
where Canyon Creek first
begins to gather itself to tum-
ble its way to the Metolius
River near Camp Sherman.
From Sisters, Three
Fingered Jack appears to
be a smallish mountain.
From a hiker’s perspective
on this trail, however, it is
quite impressive. It is one
of the older volcanoes in the
Cascade Mountain Range and
is now classified as extinct.
Centuries of erosion have
left little more than the cen-
tral hard core of solidified
lava – or volcanic plug – that
remains today. Even so, I’ve
seen first-hand from the sum-
mit that those jagged pinna-
cles are continuing to erode.
The crumbling rock can pro-
vide precarious conditions for
climbers.
Depending on how much
farther the hiker chooses to
travel, there are ever more
intimate opportunities to
get up close and personal
with Three Fingered Jack.
There is some continuing
governor
signs bill
allowing pot
sales oct. 1
SALEM (AP) — Oregon
will allow marijuana sales
to adults beginning Oct. 1,
nearly a year sooner than orig-
inally planned.
Gov. Kate Brown signed a
bill Tuesday allowing existing
medical marijuana dispen-
saries to temporarily sell the
drug to all adults.
Marijuana possession
became legal under state law
on July 1, but state regulators
are still about a year away
from being ready to allow
licensed retail outlets to open.
That means the drug can be
grown or given away, but it
can’t be legally purchased.
Supporters of early sales
say it will give Oregonians a
legal place to buy a drug that
is legal to possess.
Consumers will be allowed
to purchase limited quan-
tities of dried marijuana,
seeds and plant starts, but not
edibles.
discussion over whether the
snow and ice remnant cling-
ing to the northeastern part
of this ancient volcanic plug
still constitutes a bona fide
glacier. However, one look at
the impressive moraine and
the scooped-out basin that
cradles the tiny tarn against
the mountain’s flanks leaves
little doubt that Jack Glacier
was once a force to be reck-
oned with.
The top of the moraine is a
thousand feet above the lower
meadow. So, if you continue
climbing to the vividly tur-
quoise blue-green tarn, safety
precautions are necessary. If
you are traveling with pets
or children, do not allow
them to run ahead toward
the top of the moraine. The
inner sides of the moraine
are comprised of loose and
unconsolidated rocks on an
extremely steep slope that
plunges precipitously into the
icy lake below. The summit
of the mountain is another
1,300 feet higher. The summit
pinnacle, however, is a tech-
nical climb and should only
be attempted by experienced
mountaineers.
Retracing your steps to
the lower meadow, take the
northern fork of the trail
to the left. It immediately
plunges into a lush, pristine,
old-growth fir forest as the
trail follows Canyon Creek in
its gentle descent. You’ll be
in for a real treat with lessons
in forestry, climate zones, and
forest-fire behavior.
With the beauty of this
forest, you’ll scarcely notice
the passage of the next mile.
Soon, you will find your-
self at the trail junction to
Wasco Lake. That, of course,
means that you’re on the
home stretch; but it’s also
your opportunity for that
side trip to the cool waters
of Wasco Lake. For a quick
return to the trailhead, stay
on the south side of Canyon
Creek to return to Jack Lake;
but don’t be so focused on
the return that you miss the
scenic falls just a few yards
downstream from the Wasco
Lake trail junction.
The final portion of the
return trip takes you through
more of the burn. Some areas
were lightly burned and are
well on their way to recov-
ery. A few scattered spots
were passed over by the fire
and remain green. Other
areas were more severely
burned and are taking longer
to recover. Along one section
of the return trail, instead of
a sea of tiny lodgepole pines,
the recovering forest floor is
covered almost exclusively
with young fir trees and a few
19
small hemlocks. There is a lot
to see on this hike, and you’ll
probably be a little sorry
when you arrive back at the
parking lot.
To get to the Jack Lake
Trailhead, take Highway
20 west from Sisters for 12
miles. Turn right onto Jack
Lake Road. Stay on paved
road #12 for 4.3 miles to a
right-turning curve, where
you make a left turn toward
Jack Creek. Cross the one-
lane Jack Creek Bridge and
continue straight about a mile
and a half until the pavement
ends. Follow the sign to Jack
Lake on gravel road 1234 for
about another five miles to
where the road ends. The Jack
Lake Trailhead is a fee-use
area. If you don’t have a trail
pass, there is a self-service
kiosk. A free wilderness pass
is also required and available
at the trailhead.