Wednesday, September 21, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
21
Scott and Obsidian Trails combine for challenging loop
By Craig F. eisenbeis
Correspondent
It’s always a treat to try
new adventures, especially
one as scenic and close to
home as this one. Lately, my
column has focused on short
and middle-distance hikes. At
13.3 miles, however, today’s
hike offers the serious hiker
more of a challenge.
This little adventure starts
at the Scott Trail Trailhead on
the McKenzie Highway, just a
few miles west of McKenzie
Pass. This route combines
with the popular Obsidian
Trail, to make one of the most
scenic hikes imaginable. At a
distance like this, however –
with an option to extend it to
16.3 miles — this is not a hike
for the casual hiker. Also,
since it involves the Obsidian
Trail, an advance special-use
permit is required.
Scott Lake, Scott
Mountain, Scott Pass, and
the Scott Trail are all named
for Felix Scott, Jr., who was
instrumental in pioneering an
east-west route through this
area in 1862. At the end of
this five-mile stretch of this
historic trail, his route turned
north along what is now part
of the Pacific Crest Trail
(PCT) toward Scott Pass.
When Scott pioneered this
trail, he traveled with a thou-
sand head of stock and nine
big freight wagons. Existing
roads at that time extended
only as far east as Vida, about
20 miles east of Eugene. As
a result, Scott’s party had to
hack their way through the
dense forest on the western
slopes of the Cascades, and
it took them several weeks to
do so.
The hike begins at a trail-
head on the west (or north)
side of Highway 242. The
trail crosses the road and
heads due east toward the
PCT. The forest, at the begin-
ning of this hike, is prin-
cipally lodgepole pine but
turns to mostly hemlock at
higher elevations. Some firs
also appear as the elevation
increases.
About 2.5 miles east of
the highway, the trail crosses
in and out of lava flows and
cinder deposits, and the hike
becomes a window to the vol-
canic history of our region.
Along the way, sweep-
ing views of the mountains
open up, and the trail also
offers a good look at Collier
Glacier, which has been rap-
idly retreating up its glacial
valley over the last century.
I remember that, fifty years
ago, it looked more than twice
as big from this spot. The trail
also provides a rare perspec-
tive from which 7,810-foot
high Little Brother is not
totally overshadowed by his
much taller Three Sisters.
Collier Cone, Yapoah
Crater, and Four In One Cone
are other prominent features
seen from this trail that are
not in the usual visual spec-
trum for residents of Sisters.
My hiking companion,
who has backpacked all of
Oregon’s PCT (and more),
remarked that this area has
the best scenery of all.
Having started at an ele-
vation of about 4,800 feet,
this hike tops out at 6,320
feet before descending into
a huge, gorgeous meadow,
where the trail joins up with
the PCT. This area is a real
wildflower hot spot in the
early summer.
A small seasonal stream
in the meadow dries up late
in the season, but is still a
nice place for a lunch break.
Although the total elevation
gain to this point is a little
over 1,500 feet, the grade has
been reasonable, giving the
hiker a break for what is yet
to come. The scenery here is
unsurpassed. Close-up views
of the western slopes of the
North and Middle Sisters are
unique to this trail.
This trail junction is
where Scott turned north for
the pass that now bears his
name. However, today’s hike
turns south on the PCT and
heads for the very steep Opie
Dilldock Pass, named for an
obscure cartoon character of
the early 1900s. It was named
by Forest Service packer Dee
Wright and McKenzie Bridge
District Ranger Ralph Engels
in 1932.
The pair was having a
tough time crossing through
this area until they found
this difficult route, and they
thought of the cartoon char-
acter who was renowned for
always finding a way out of
ridiculously difficult situa-
tions. Feeling that they had
found a solution reminis-
cent of one of Opie’s esca-
pades, they named the pass
they found after the cartoon
character.
Wr i g h t , o f c o u r s e ,
supervised the Civilian
Conservation Corps con-
struction of the rock observa-
tory atop McKenzie Pass that
bears his name. The lava-rock
landmark was named in his
honor after he died in 1934,
prior to completion of the
structure in 1935.
From the PCT junction,
it is 3.7 miles over Opie
Dilldock Pass to the next trail
junction. The north side of
Opie is steep, but the switch-
backs descending the south
photo by craig f. eisenbeis
at the pCt’s junction with the Scott trail, pCt hikers check their intended
route.
side are even steeper, mak-
ing a clockwise circuit of
this loop a smart decision.
Traditional south-to-north
PCT hikers have to ascend
this monster from the steep
side!
Continuing south, the
PCT meets up with the upper
end of Glacier Way Cut Off,
which is your cue to take this
steep westbound trail 0.8 mile
downhill to a wildflower-
laced meadow. However, if a
13.3 mile hike is not enough,
you have the option of add-
ing three more miles by con-
tinuing south 1.1 miles to the
junction of the Obsidian Trail.
With mountain streams
and plentiful wildflower
meadows, I have long
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