10
Wednesday, July 22, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Obsidian Trail is a special place
By craig f. eisenbeis
Correspondent
Old-growth trees, towering
mountains, mountain mead-
ows, acres of wildflowers,
mountain streams, and fields
of sparkling natural glass: It’s
no wonder that, for decades,
the Obsidian Trail was desig-
nated as a “Heavy Use Area,”
with vague instructions such
as “try to avoid.”
In more recent years, how-
ever, the Forest Service was
forced to take further steps
to limit user impact and des-
ignate it a “Limited Entry
Area,” requiring posses-
sion of an entry permit, the
numbers of which are … uh,
limited.
The upshot of all this is
that it’s no longer possible
to be spontaneous in explor-
ing the Obsidian Trail; but,
with a little forethought,
permits are easily available
online at www.recreation.gov.
But then, most of us don’t
undertake a difficult 12-mile
hike without some advance
planning.
After obtaining my permit,
photo by craiG F. eisenbeis
obsidian falls is a scenic highlight
along the Pacific crest trail, which
can also be accessed from the
obsidian trail near Mckenzie Pass.
a friend and I set out to enjoy
this route anew. For both of
us, our experience on this
trail was similar. Specifically,
it had always been part of a
trek to somewhere else far-
ther down the trail. This time,
though, it was to be all about
just enjoying the Obsidian.
The trail starts out in
a lush, westside forest of
unburned green. Near the
trailhead, lodgepole pine
and true firs are common,
but huge hemlock trees soon
predominate; and the always-
upward grade of the trail is
not too extreme. At about
3.5 miles, the forest cover is
interrupted by a lava flow,
where expansive and majestic
views of the mountains open
up. The trail stays in the lava
for about three quarters of a
mile; and, shortly after return-
ing to more vegetated ground,
the trail crosses White Branch
Creek, and soon forks in a
very nice meadow filled with
wildflowers.
This fork is the starting
point of a challenging and
scenic loop that will return
the hiker to this exact same
spot about four miles later.
I highly recommend taking
the right fork in the direc-
tion of Linton Meadows and
Obsidian falls. The left fork,
Glacier Way Cut Off, is very
steep and covers, in 0.8 mile,
approximately the same ele-
vation gain as the right fork
does in 1.7 miles.
As the trail continues, in
the shadow of the Obsidian
Cliffs, obsidian chips begin to
appear in the trail dust until,
roughly midway between
the trail fork and its junction
with the Pacific Crest Trail
(PCT), the route crosses a flat
field paved with thousands
— probably millions — of
obsidian chips that glisten in
the sun.
The volcanic obsidian
rocks, from which this trail
derives its name, played
an important role in the
ASPHALT
SEALING
SAVE
MONEY!
Extend the life of your existing
asphalt driveway or parking lot.
• Driveways
• Line Striping
• Asphalt Patching
• Crack Repair
PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE
PR
MA
M
IS LESS EXPENSIVE THAN REPAIR!
541-426-4071
admin@wellensfarwell.com
PO Box 658 Enterprise,
Oregon 97828
ccb#166728
area’s cultural history. For
thousands of years, Native
Americans sought out this
area as a source for high-qual-
ity obsidian for use in tools
and weapons.
The glass-like black obsid-
ian is formed when silica-
laden molten lava flows to the
earth’s surface without mak-
ing contact with water. When
this same lava encounters
water, it produces the more
familiar air-filled porous lava
rock. When sufficient foam-
ing or frothing occurs in lava,
extremely porous and light-
weight pumice may be the
result.
A bit farther along, the
trail passes near one of three
unusual memorial plaques
located along this hike. The
first honors Richard Ward
Montague (1862-1935), who
was a prominent Portland
attorney, conservationist, and
past president of the Mazamas
Mountaineering Club. The
Mazamas’ conservation tro-
phy still bears his name. The
Mazamas have a long history,
since 1894, of exploring and
protecting Oregon’s wilder-
ness and mountains.
I was fortunate on this
hike to be accompanied by
Keith Mischke, himself a past
president and executive direc-
tor of the Mazamas, who was
able to fill me in on some of
the historical background of
these wilderness plaques. In
fact, Mischke was acquainted
with Montague’s grandson.
Eventually, the Obsidian
Trail links up with the PCT.
To complete the return loop
of this hike, take the PCT
left (north) to Obsidian Falls,
which is a nice place for a
lunch or rest stop. Two more
memorial plaques appear
along the PCT portion of this
hike, honoring past Mazama
presidents Harley H. Prouty
(1857-1916) and Jerry E.
Bronaugh (1869-1938).
With spectacular views
of the North and Middle
photo by craiG F. eisenbeis
the North and Middle Sisters are seen here along the obsidian trail.
Sisters, as well as smaller,
lesser-known peaks, the PCT
continues north through vast
wildflower meadows and past
the diminutive Arrowhead
Lakes, a nice spot for a pleas-
ant swim on a hot day. In this
area, the hike tops out at an
elevation of about 6,500 feet,
which makes for a total eleva-
tion climb of approximately
1,700 feet from the trailhead.
From this area, climbers’
trails can be seen heading far-
ther up into the mountains.
Continuing north, the
PCT meets up with the upper
end of Glacier Way Cut Off,
which is your cue to take this
steep westbound trail down-
hill and back to the wild-
flower-laced meadow where
the trail forked. Returning
to the trailhead by the same
route from this point, the
total distance of this hike is a
commendable 12 miles.
To reach the Obsidian
Trailhead at Frog Camp, take
the historic McKenzie Pass
Highway (242) west from
Sisters. From the summit
of the pass, continue west
for another 6 miles and turn
left (east) at the Obsidian
Trailhead. In addition to the
limited-entry permit, a federal
parking pass is also required
at this location.
Limited-entry permits are
supposedly “free,” but there
is a $6 “transaction fee.”
Limited-entry permits can
be obtained online at www.
recreation.gov or by call-
ing 1-877-444-6777. This
entire hike is within the Three
Sisters Wilderness boundary.
Always be properly equipped
for wilderness travel, and
carry the 10 essentials and
ample emergency supplies.
Fires are roaring
at Ponderosa Forge
Stop by the showroom
to see what’s cooking!
One-of-a-kind custom ironwork
rk k
e
ers
hand-forged right here in Sisters
541-549-9280 | 207 W. Sisters Park Dr. | PonderosaForge.com | CCB# 87640