Broken Top via Park Meadows - June 2018
Five of us started to Park Meadow below Broken Top in the Three Sisters Wilderness in two groups. Dan, Fritz and I started walking mid-afternoon. Danny and Paul got a late (late) start and didn't get to camp until the following morning. We were in from Friday - Sunday.
The first about 4 1/2 miles are through solid burn. There are no living trees. This was part of the Pole Creek burn from a few years ago. It's not pleasant. About the only new growth in the dry areas were some lupine. After that stretch, which is a pretty easy walk, we were relieved to enter good old Pacific Northwest forest. We'd crossed a couple of streams. One on a not-great log and the second by fording. There's quite a lot of blowdown, but none that's challenging.
We passed by the little pond and were in Park Meadow. We looked around and found a nice camp spot. Several areas are being restored and people appear to be adhering to the rule. By the way, we saw a USFS ranger on the trail and that's not common these days. Oh, and then came the mosquitoes. Meadows are great places for them and Park Meadow is a star. There were hordes of them.
On Saturday, after Danny and Paul arrived, we day hiked up to Golden Lake. Such a pretty scene. I'd been sick all week so went back to camp. The others took off for a "grueling" hike of maybe one mile where they plopped down and loafed. Good idea!
We got up early on Sunday, packed up and headed out. As you'll see in the photos sort of, Dan fell off a stream crossing log. A first for him! He was unhurt and claimed that it felt great!
Five of us started to Park Meadow below Broken Top in the Three Sisters Wilderness in two groups. Dan, Fritz and I started walking mid-afternoon. Danny and Paul got a late (late) start and didn't get to camp until the following morning. We were in from Friday - Sunday.
The first about 4 1/2 miles are through solid burn. There are no living trees. This was part of the Pole Creek burn from a few years ago. It's not pleasant. About the only new growth in the dry areas were some lupine. After that stretch, which is a pretty easy walk, we were relieved to enter good old Pacific Northwest forest. We'd crossed a couple of streams. One on a not-great log and the second by fording. There's quite a lot of blowdown, but none that's challenging.
We passed by the little pond and were in Park Meadow. We looked around and found a nice camp spot. Several areas are being restored and people appear to be adhering to the rule. By the way, we saw a USFS ranger on the trail and that's not common these days. Oh, and then came the mosquitoes. Meadows are great places for them and Park Meadow is a star. There were hordes of them.
On Saturday, after Danny and Paul arrived, we day hiked up to Golden Lake. Such a pretty scene. I'd been sick all week so went back to camp. The others took off for a "grueling" hike of maybe one mile where they plopped down and loafed. Good idea!
We got up early on Sunday, packed up and headed out. As you'll see in the photos sort of, Dan fell off a stream crossing log. A first for him! He was unhurt and claimed that it felt great!