South Sister marks the high point during the entirety of our 100-mile trip. Haha, see what I did there?

We started the day earlier than all the others, getting to the parking lot at 6:15. Unfortunately, it seems like all of Bend had the same idea and we had to park in the Truck/RV parking since we couldn't find a spot close to the trailhead.

Undeterred, we approached the trailhead at 6:45 and headed on our way up to the peak. We walked about 2 miles through the pine forest up a steady incline until we crested the ridge and South Sister loomed before us. The next mile or so was a pleasant relatively flat expanse that led above Moraine Lake, gracing us with beautiful views of South Sister and Broken Top as low-altitude clouds appeared and disappeared in front of us, never truly presenting any threat of staying long.

As we approached the base of the mountain, we donned microspikes to cross the first part of the snowfields. Then the incline got worse. At this point, we were given two options, pick our way over the rocks until we got higher, leaving the trail slightly, or keep the microspikes on, break out the ice axe, and stride forward. We chose the latter option, pushing straight up the hillside where the trail should have been. After a half mile or so of snow and incline, we eventually got the start of the volcanic rock along the ridge, where all the snow had melted. We pushed forward until we crested another ridge, giddy to reach the top…. only to realize we had another mile, mile and a half to the top.

Slightly less excitedly, we trudged up what felt like a million switchbacks, slipping backwards every once in a while on the volcanic rock. We kept pushing until we couldn't any more, took a break, then pushed again. This cycle continued probably four or five times until we finally broke the ridge that marked the top of the mountain.  Upon seeing the snowpack on top of the mountain and the summit on the far side, we decided to follow the trail around the snowpack and made our way to the high point of our trip. The view was absolutely stunning, as we looked out toward Middle and North Sister, a beautiful view of Broken Top and Mt. Bachelor to the East and Southeast, and a sea of clouds to the southwest. We lounged at the top of the mountain for about ten minutes before heading across the snowpack and sitting behind a wind barrier to eat the customary trail mix snack.

Heading down the mountain after we refueled, we started by plunge-stepping down the portion of trail that was solely comprised of volcanic rock, stopping to let others pass on their way up, so as not to break their momentum. Once we got down to the ridge that I had falsely assumed was the summit on the way up, I realized… We'd be able to glissade down! We hustled down the next quarter mile of trail and grabbed our ice axes, running and jumping into the sled-like depressions that previous hikers had made in their own descents and slid just about a mile down the mountain, clambering over the few rock bands we encountered.

We crossed the mountain flat, stopping and looking back every once in a while at the mountain that we had just climbed, a mix of emotions creeping over me. I was glad the struggle of the climb was over, but simultaneously upset that I didn't have the same hike to look forward to tomorrow.

As we headed back to the car, I reflected on the things that had occurred for me since the year had started. Huge personal milestones had been accomplished; I'd completed the NorCal 6PoP challenge, finished half of the SoCal 6PoP, hiked about 400 miles total so far, I'd celebrated one-year of sobriety, and I was finishing the Oregon 6PoP. But there was… is… still so much to do; so many challenges to overcome.

We finished the hike, marking mile 89, and ended up doing 12 miles the next day, bringing our grand total to 101 miles in Oregon and marking the successful completion of 2 of 3 6PoP challenges.

I'm going to continue to hike for the remainder of the year, finishing the SoCal 6PoP, and a year total of 750 miles. And to think I wouldn't have even thought of doing this if I hadn't stumbled across this community online. For giving me the opportunity to prove to myself that I can set out and do these monumental tasks, I thank everyone that makes this challenge possible and everyone that chooses to be a part of this community. Keep pushing, you never know what you're capable of!