Wednesday, July 20, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
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Square Lake: easily reached from PCT Trailhead at Santiam Pass
By Craig F. Eisenbeis
Correspondent
There are many people in
the area now who were not
here when the B & B Fire
burned nearly 100,000 acres
in 2003. The scars at Santiam
Pass are still quite evident,
and the forest’s full recovery
is still generations away. To
fully appreciate that recovery,
it is necessary to examine it
up close.
A good way to view the
fire’s aftermath is to hike
from Santiam Pass to Square
Lake. This is a relatively
short hike, less than 2.5 miles
each way, with a few moder-
ate ups and downs but little
overall elevation change. The
trailhead is easy to access;
and, if you’re in a hurry, the
hike only takes a couple of
hours. There is no need to be
in a hurry, however.
The trail takes off from
a paved parking loop on the
north side of Highway 20
at the top of Santiam Pass.
There are two early trail junc-
tions. The first is within sight
of the parking lot and is where
the short access trail meets up
with the Pacific Crest Trail
(PCT). Turn left (north) onto
the PCT. A couple of hun-
dred yards later, turn right
(east) off the PCT at the next
junction where a sign points
to “Old Summit Trail.”
That’s about all the navi-
gation that is necessary on
your way to Square Lake.
The well-marked trail takes
a pleasant course through the
burned out forest. The for-
est floor is a quite alive with
bracken ferns and beargrass;
and wildflowers are mak-
ing inroads into the burn.
Columbines, lupine, and
scarlet gilia (skyrocket) are a
few of the flowers blooming
along the trail.
Lodgepole pine saplings
are everywhere. I was sur-
prised to see that some are
already in the 10- to 12-foot
range. A few spruce trees are
also growing; and, farther in,
where a few of the older, pre-
fire trees survived, young firs
and hemlocks are colonizing,
as well.
Lodgepole pine, a pioneer
species that quickly reclaims
burned-over land, is predom-
inant. Part of this is because
the heat from a fire speeds the
release of the species’ seeds
from its cones, and the sun-
loving seedlings thrive in the
open. Oceans of manzanita
and snowbrush (Ceanothus)
also cover the landscape in
many areas. These plants
thrive in post-fire habitat.
Nearly 13 years after the
fire, naked tree trunks still
dominate the landscape; and
they continue to fall, pro-
viding a constant challenge
for trail-clearing crews.
Judging by the fresh saw-
dust, I counted a half-dozen
fallen trees that were recently
cleared from the trail. On the
other hand, an even larger
number still cross the trail
on the way to Square Lake.
It is unclear why these fallen
trees remain, since most are
outside the wilderness area,
where a chain saw could
make quick work of them.
Isolated groupings of 8-10
survivor trees are scattered
around the burn. Closer to the
lake, a few spots in the lee
of rock outcroppings shelter
more of the older trees; and
the lake itself helped lake-
side strips of trees to survive,
primarily on the north and
east shores of the lake. Here,
winds from the west drove
the fire north and east, iso-
lating some trees along the
shoreline when the fire failed
to completely burn back upon
itself.
Approaching the lake,
near a sign that marks formal
entry into the Mt. Jefferson
Wilderness Area, the trail
descends into what appears
to be an old glacial basin
which cradles the lake itself.
photo by craig F. eisenbeis
three Fingered Jack juts up above the north shore of Square lake, in the
heart of the 2003 B & B Burn.
Crossing the little ridge before
reaching the lake accounts for
most of the elevation gradient
in this hike. There is exactly
one switchback.
The trail parallels the
western side of the lake at a
distance of a couple hundred
yards and eventually meets
up with the Round Lake Trail
on the north shoreline. From
there, the combined trail can
be followed farther north
toward Booth and Jack Lakes.
Booth Lake was ground zero
for that part of the B & B Fire.
The hike in from Round Lake
is about the same distance,
but the long gravel road to
that trailhead makes access to
that trail more tedious.
I had not explored the
west and south shorelines of
Square Lake before, since
there isn’t really a trail; so, on
this visit, I took some time to
do just that. Access to those
areas involves a lot of mean-
dering and climbing over
downed trees. It was a beau-
tiful, warm, and surprisingly
mosquito-free day. A few fish
were jumping; and, since it
was a hot day, I decided to go
for a swim.
The extremely clear water
was definitely chilly, and I
could readily tell that my
See hIkE on page 28