7/30/16

I’m slowly working on climbing Oregon’s 100 highest peaks (Howbert list).  It’s something I can fit into weekends while doing that whole “gainfully employed” thing.  The unexpected joy of this project is staring at the map of the peaks, which are spread out all over Oregon, and dreaming up trips I’d otherwise never have thought of.

The 100 highest list includes 5 peaks in Crater Lake National Park – 4 around the crater rim, and Mt Scott, which is it’s own volcano just next to the lake. It obviously makes sense to try to knock these out in one trip, since it’s a good 5 hour drive from my home in Portland.  Then I got the idea to do them all in one day….and ride my bike between each one.

So, I drove down after work on Friday night, slept in my car just outside the park and of course got to Rim Village a bit later than I’d told myself I would get there. I was really unsure of how long all of this would take, so I started with what I assumed would be the most time consuming peak – Applegate, to gauge how realistic the whole endeavor was early on. I took the trail to neighboring Garfield Peak (not on the top 100 list), arriving just in time for sunrise, then headed off trail across the ridge to the slightly higher Applegate Peak.  I was back at my car/bike in about 2 hours, which was great since I’d budgeted 3 hours for this first peak.

The rest of the peaks were a breeze, the hardest part being a short scramble at the top of Hillman Peak.  There may have been a less exposed route coming from another side, but I didn’t bother scouting. Only Mt. Scott had a trail, which was incredibly crowded.

A fire had started in the west side of the park, along the PCT, a couple days before I arrived.  When I first started in the morning, I couldn’t even tell a fire was burning, but by afternoon it flared up – smoke obscuring most of the lake view.

I got back to my car by 5:30pm, much earlier than I’d anticipated, and considered hanging around and going up The Watchman for sunset. But with all the smoke in the air, the view of the lake was pretty nonexistent, so after cooking a box of mac and cheese in the parking lot, I hit the road for Umpqua Hot Springs.  Being a Saturday night, it was of course pretty crowded, but a nice way to end the day.

sunrise from Garfield Peak

the ridge to Applegate Peak

view from Hillman Peak. Smoke from the Bybee fire visible on the right.

The scramble down from Hillman Peak

View from Llao Rock

Along the East Rim Drive

magnetic clips in volcanic ash

Ridge to the lookout tower at the summit of Mt Scott

View from Mt Scott.

Unexpected water source was welcome – I took about 5 liters with me for the day, and was rationing by this point.

Dutton Cliff – my 5th top 100 peak for the day

the Bybee fire, as seen from the West Rim Drive on my way out of the park

Umpqua Hot Springs

The peaks, in the order I hiked them:
Applegate Peak – 8126′
Hillman Peak – 8151′ (Highest point on the crater rim)
Llao Rock – 8049′
Mt Scott – 8929′ (highest point in Crater Lake National Park)
Dutton Cliff – 8106′

Stats (approximate) for  the day:
Total Car to Car Time: 12h10m
Biking distance: 33 miles
Biking gain: 4000′
Hiking distance: 15 miles (7.3 trail / 7.7 off trail)
Hiking gain: 5770′