Hanging issues on the Oregon Three Sisters Loop?

[kwpapke]

I am planning to do a week-long circuit of the Three Sisters in early August:

http://www.oregonhikers.org/field_gu...e_Sisters_Hike

I plan to do some of the side trips up to Camp Lake and maybe the South Sister summit. Any hangers out there made this circuit? Any issues with finding a campsite with adequate trees along the trail? Normally not an issue in Oregon, but I know the NE section of the trail burned a couple of years ago, and there's some substantial elevation in some spots.

Any words of wisdom about this hike would be appreciated.

--Kurt

[ChacMool]

Haven't done that loop, but I've done shorter hikes in the area close to South Sister and Broken Top. Its a beautiful part of Oregon.

Hopefully someone who has actually hiked the trail routes you want to take will respond with better information.

Here's a short youtube video of this loop:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co-jQRealZ4

My guess is that you can make it. While clearly there are places where it is too barren to hang a hammock, you should be able to hike a bit farther and find a decent place to hang. Might be smart to be prepared to go to ground, just in case, though.

The Green Lakes area is very popular, and crowded, and while beautiful I would prefer to camp overnight somewhere more remote.

I've heard that hiking the South Sister is tough because of talus or scree -- you may want gaiters for that. Obviously too barren to hang up there, but you can hang in a spot below treeline and hike up and back in a long day hike.

[Snarl]

The scout troop did the hike two years ago. Five hangers in the group of nine total. Never had to go to ground. The usual camp sites have plenty of trees. Just don't plan to camp in the burned area. There was little water in the burned area and probably less this year so hydrate properly and prepare for more desert like conditions during that section. Hiking South Sister did have a fair amount of scree but definitely worth the effort. Enjoy the hike.

Snarl

[kwpapke]

The scout troop did the hike two years ago. Five hangers in the group of nine total. Never had to go to ground. The usual camp sites have plenty of trees. Just don't plan to camp in the burned area. There was little water in the burned area and probably less this year so hydrate properly and prepare for more desert like conditions during that section. Hiking South Sister did have a fair amount of scree but definitely worth the effort. Enjoy the hike.

Snarl

Thanks, that was very helpful! Coming from AZ, I'm quite accustomed to carrying a fair amount of water, so no issue there.

[gplg]

How did your hike go? I'm planning on going in Sept and was also wondering about hang issues.

[kwpapke]

How did your hike go? I'm planning on going in Sept and was also wondering about hang issues.

No worries whatsoever. You can't camp in the burn area, so you need to work around that, but otherwise lots of trees for hanging. Feel free to ask any specific questions about the route. Here's the video I made of our hike: