Brokeoff Mountain - Lassen Volcanic National Park

Tamara Lopez and myself hiked the rugged remains of a volcano that once rivaled Lassen. Erosive processes both internal and external to the volcano have reduced the volume of the mountain significantly; but there is still plenty left for an epic hiking experience...and that's what Tamara and I had on July 6th. The mountain was loaded with snow, which I personally enjoy due to the extra dimension of complexity it adds to the ascent and descent. We passed through meadows filled with melt water on our way up, and then entered an obvious avalanche zone located on the east-southeast face of the mountain. After moving up through the avy zone, we reached a ridge that we followed to the southwest face of the mountain. We then ascended up to another ridge-line before finally reaching the summit. The views from the top are stupendous...particularly the unrivaled view of Lassen. We met a couple of visitors from Eastern Europe at the top. After a bit of conversation they began the descent down and we followed twenty minutes later. The snow was soft during the descent and we made quick progress back to my truck by plunging downhill and skiing on the soles of our shoes. Microspikes and trekking poles came in handy for this hike, but it's doable without at this point in the summer.

South Sister - Bend, OR

I drove north into the Oregon Cascades in order to hike the southern-most of the Three Sisters located near Bend, OR on July 4th. The 10,358-foot South Sister is truly a beautiful mountain, and the weather in central Oregon was absolutely perfect for hiking such an imposing peak. I started the hike at 6:30 am and quickly had to put on micro-spikes as the initial hike through forest became snowy and icy. Gratefully I popped out of the forest quickly and soaked in dramatic mountain scenery as I slogged steadily upwards. I passed Moraine Lake, and then ascended a series of long steep snow slopes that led to the base of Lewis Glacier and a glacial melt pond. After a quick break I tackled the last segment of the hike that steeply ascended the south side of South Sister via a narrow ridge that was bounded to the east by the mildly crevassed Lewis Glacier. Finally I reached the rim of South Sister's volcanic crater, which was filled with very deep snow that  actually transitions into a small crater lake during the summer. I traversed the crater snow field feeling exhilarated since this volcano erupted 2000 years ago, and could do so again in the future. I then ascended up to the highest point on the crater at 11 am, took a million pictures, refueled, and then headed back down. I reached my truck at 2:30 pm and drove into Bend for dinner. Absolutely fantastic way to celebrate the 4th.

Patterson Lake - Alturas, CA

Tamara Lopez and myself hiked to an alpine lake that I think both of us would agree is the best we have experienced thus far. We drove through Alturas, CA, hit county road 56, and drove up into the South Warner Wilderness. We eventually reached the Summit Trial trailhead that leads south toward Warren Peak and Patterson Lake. The trail quickly ascends up onto a ridge-line, and remains on the ridge for most of the remainder of the hike. Views of the Surprise Valley, the Great Basin, and the Nevada border emerge to the east within the first hour of hiking. In addition, Mount Shasta and Lassen Peak are visible to the west. After 4 to 5 miles of hiking, Tamara and I reached Cottonwood Lake, which was embedded within an alpine environment beneath lava cliffs defining the 9500 foot Warren Peak.

We then used iPhone GPS to guide us across mountain snowfields to Patterson Lake. The lake appears to be the former location of a cirque glacier surrounded by a towering semi-circular band of mountain cliffs. This is truly a magical place, and I highly advise hiking to it in late spring or early summer so you can experience the lake when it is iced over and surrounded by snowy headwalls...it is a truly special experience to be embedded within this environment. The drive to this remote trailhead, and subsequent hike across rotten snowfields might be a pain in the ass, but the reward is definitely worth the effort...Patterson Lake is a hidden California gem.

Squaw Valley Creek Trail - McCloud, CA

I hiked the Squaw Valley Creek Trail located near McCloud, CA with Tamara Lopez on July 1st. The trail weaves through a wooded gorge that falls off sharply to a raging creek bellow. The gorge and what I assume are lava outcrops made the hike interesting. I'm pretty sure we bush-whacked through or closely adjacent to poison oak...it will be a miracle if I don't start itching soon since I was wearing shorts. Otherwise, the last mile or two ascends 1000-1500 feet up a forest service road to a ridge top that then drops back down to the trailhead, which I appreciated since I didn't have to walk through sections of poison oak and mosquitos on the way back to my truck. There is another bonus...the views of Mount Shasta are outstanding around McCloud (see pictures below).