Mt Bachelor - Views of the Oregon Cascades

Mt Bachelor

Mt Bachelor's the closest of the big mountains to Bend, OR, and the weather's just turning now to start snowing up there so I got in a last trip up to the 9,068ft summit to take in the views. October is the perfect month for the mountains - less people, lowest snow levels of the year and it's mainly been sunny too. Oh, and there are fewer races that interest me to get in the way.

Let me know if you think I labeled it wrong, but I think this is right.

Sparks Lake

Tumalo Mt

South Sister Summit

South Sister from the flat section of trail before the proper climb.

It looks like there's just enough good weather to get in a few more mountain runs. And this is the best time to get up there, in my opinion - the snow's at a minimum and the crowds are low, even on the popular trails.

So today I went up South Sister, which is part of the Three Sisters next to where the Pole Creek fire still is (see my write up of getting caught up Middle Sister as that fire almost destroyed the car). There's still plenty of smoke in the area but it's all on the northern side of Broken Top and away from the summit trail for South Sister. The route up is six miles long with 5,000ft of ascent, so it's a tough work-out, then a really enjoyable cruise downhill.

Fellow North Face team-mate, Steph Howe, led the way after getting hit by a car recently. She seems to be back in racing form since she powered her way up the mountain. And in the October lull in racing (for me, anyway), there's just time to fit in a 40-mile circumnavigation of Mt Hood with 12,000ft of climb. Looks like it'll be a who's who of North-West ultra running (including Canada) with both 2012 UROC champs turning up as well as many more - that should be a great day out as long as the snow can hold off for just one more week.

A snowless Broken Top.

The easy bit.

Mt Bachelor and Moraine Lake.

Steph with Bachelor in the distance.

South Sister a little closer up - virtually no snow at this time of year.

Mt Bachelor.

Mt Bachelor.

The final 1,500ft to the summit.

Broken Top (left) and Bachelor (right).

Broken Top.

Broken Top.

Scree to the top, but still a trail (unlike Middle Sister).

Mt Bachelor.

A lava field.

The Pole Creek fire - dying down now after almost a month.

The Pole Creek fire almost reaches Broken Top.

The glacier in the cone at the top.

Obligatory top of the mt photo - South Sister summit, 10,358ft.

The fire.

Broken Top from South Sister summit.

Middle (left) and North (right) Sister with Jefferson and Hood in the background.

Middle (left) and North (right) Sister with Jefferson and Hood in the background.

Middle (left) and North (right) Sister with Jefferson and Hood in the background.

Crevaces on the side of the mountain.

South Sister again on the way back.