20
Wednesday, August 10, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Hand Lake hike includes a lesson in history
By craig f. Eisenbeis
Correspondent
There is more than one
way to get to Hand Lake,
and the first time I visited the
site, it was near the end of a
10-mile hike. Today’s version
is a lot shorter and much more
direct. The quickest in-and-
out version is only about a
mile round trip. For this hike,
however, we took an interest-
ing historical side trip around
the lake for what was still a
relatively short hike of about
three miles.
The Hand Lake Trailhead
is just a half hour from Sisters
over McKenzie Pass. The
trail plunges almost imme-
diately into the southern
edge of the Mt. Washington
Wilderness, where the hiker
experiences a dense, lush,
mixed evergreen forest, com-
plete with babbling brook …
and mosquitoes.
This a pretty flat trail that
mostly trends slightly down-
hill on the way in. There are
a number of downed trees
across the trails on this hike
that have not been cleared.
After about a half mile, the
trail reaches the Hand Lake
Shelter, a rustic three-sided
old structure open on the
north side. Looking east from
this spot, the very top of Mt.
Washington is visible above
the lake and one of the many
lava flows common to this
area.
For this hike’s walk back
into history, continue to fol-
low the trail north across the
meadow and up a short rise
to a well-signed trail junc-
tion. The trail signs are new
and attractive but not very
helpful, because all three
directions point toward some
variation of “Hand Lake.” In
any event, turn right (east)
and follow the trail along and
above the north shore of the
lake.
Within about another half
mile, the trail has reached
beyond the lake and follows
along the edge of the lava
flow. The soil is very sandy
here. Continue east, and the
trail suddenly leaves the
sand and takes off up a short
incline. When the trail levels
out again, keep a sharp eye
out for a wide, flat passage
on the right, carved across the
lava flow. This is where the
history lesson begins.
Nearly a century and a half
ago, John Templeton Craig
hacked and carved a primitive
road through this country; and
this slot through the lava was
part of it — a segment that he
carved out by hand.
Craig was an Oregon
pioneer in the truest sense of
the word. He came to Oregon
in 1852 and was a part of
the Scott expedition in 1862
that ushered in a new era of
travel between the Willamette
Valley and Central Oregon.
Although the Scott crossing
of the Cascades was osten-
sibly a success, Craig would
spend the next 10 years of his
life seeking a better route.
Where others repeatedly
failed, he finally succeeded
in 1872. As president of
The McKenzie Salt Springs
and Deschutes Wagon Road
Company, he completed
a road over what is now
McKenzie Pass. His historic
road connected the Eugene
area with what is now Sisters
Country. The route he chose
across this lava field was
several hundred feet lower in
elevation than Scott’s route.
With the establishment of
the Camp Polk Post Office
near what is now Sisters,
Craig was granted the mail
carrying contract from
Craig’s Bridge to Camp Polk.
His quest to faithfully deliver
the Christmas mail in 1877
would cost him his life in a
winter storm. In 1930, the
Oregon Rural Letter Carriers
Association erected a memo-
rial to Craig at the site of his
tomb, which can be visited
photo by CraiG F. eisenbeis
the summit of Mt. Washington can be seen above Hand Lake from the
Hand Lake shelter.
along the McKenzie Highway
on the way to this hike, two
miles west of the summit.
After crossing Craig’s
road through the lava field,
we completed this hike by
Outlaw Booster Club 2nd Annual
Outlaw
Hall of Fame
Dinner & Induction
Ceremony
September 3, 2016 at SHS
5:30 p.m. Social
Banquet & Ceremony
6:30 p.m. • $50 per person
2016 Inductees:
Bill Edwards (Teacher/Mentor 1940s – 1980s)
Amy Cretsinger (SHS ’03, Multi-Sport Champion)
Gene Harrison (SHS ’55, Multi-Sport Champion)
Gordon Mouser (SHS ’58, Multi-Sport Champion)
Jenny (Boswell) Melton (SHS ’06, Multi-Sport Champion)
Mary Flande (Coach/Teacher 1992-2012)
Fall 1999 SHS Football State Championship Team
Green Brothers (Jonathan – SHS ’03;
Christian and David – SHS ’04, Team and
Individual State Golf Champions)
All Proceeds Benefi t Sisters Schools Co-Curricular Activities.
www.shshalloffame.org • 541-617-0707 •
Registration, tickets, and sponsorship available at SHS,
online at www.birdeasepro.com/OBCOutlawOpenandHOF,
and by emailing obc@outlawboosterclub.org
Outlaw Booster Club is a 501(c)(3) organization.
simply turning right (west)
and following the margin of
the lava flow back to the lake.
There isn’t an “official” trail
See HAND LAKE on page 21
Square Dancing
Watch for FREE!
Fri., Aug. 12, 7:30-10 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 13, 1-3 p.m. &
7:30-10 p.m.
Central Oregon Roundup
AT SISTERS HIGH SCHOOL
541-639-1070