Black Butte marked the start of a ten day, 100-mile hiking trip in Oregon to knock out all six of the peaks in this challenge.

We arrived in Bend on 7/4 and proceeded to fall asleep early after a 10.5 hour drive from the Bay Area, having stopped at Crater Lake on the way up.

The next morning, we woke up early, drove out to the trailhead, and hit the trail at 6:55. Beautiful hike through the first 3 miles of forest, not seeing a single soul. We reached the upper parking lot at about 8:00 and saw the first two people of our day. Continued to push up the trail, seeing only one person on their way down before summiting.

I absolutely love the fact that there are still fire lookouts in Oregon. Can you imagine being paid to be out in the forest and be on the lookout for such a powerful force? I can't think of a more enjoyable job…. for probably the first season. We spent about 35 minutes at the top of the Butte and ate trail mix, drank water, and gazed out into the Three Sisters Wilderness. We spoke in hushed tones and stared at South Sister, looming in the distance, as we thought about what the next nine days would entail. We had just hiked the first 5 miles of a 100 mile undertaking and we were as excited as we were apprehensive.

Then came the descent. We passed plenty of other people on the way down, taking in the beautiful Oregon forest and enjoying the blooming wildflowers. Upon finally reaching the parking lot at 11:30, we talked with a couple of ladies who were just starting their hike. They mentioned that it was a warm-up day for them; tomorrow, they were climbing South Sister. We wished them luck and safe travels before heading on our way to continue on our own journey to South Sister, though ours would take a little longer.