The Twins

"Double the pleasure, double the fun, The Twins are fun for everyone!" I may have missed my calling as a jingle writer but then again, I'd have to learn music and lose my self-respect, but on the other hand it would pay the bills. And moving right along from inane rhymes to the far more serious topic of hiking, this was Getaway Day of the campout at Odell Lake and just as I broke up the long drive to the campground by hiking to Bobby Lake, I decided to break up the long drive back home with yet another hike in the Waldo Lake area. 

Trail sign at the intersection with the PCT

The Twin Peaks Trail is basically Bobby Lake Trail's neighbor from a parallel universe, meaning that the two trails were only about four miles apart but travel in parallel to each other, and never shall the trails meet. Each trail begins from the Waldo Lake Road, both cross the Pacific Crest Trail, and both head due east to reach their respective destinations. Each spends several miles in dry and dusty forest with nary a view to be had but there the similarities end. The Bobby Lake Trail is relatively level while the Twin Peaks Trail is most assuredly the very antithesis of level. 

It was a dusty slog for the first several miles

The soils in the Waldo Lake area are volcanic in nature and in keeping with the theme of this week's hiking, my legs were soon covered with a thick layer of volcanic dust. Within a mere quarter-mile of the trailhead, the path inclined sharply and I began having glute-burning flashbacks to the last time I was here. Apparently, the trail hasn't gotten any less steep during my extended absence. At ground level, it looked and felt like it was just another slog up through a forested grade but the reality was that the trail was actually climbing the slopes of The Twins. 

A pond of stagnant water provides succor for mosquitoes

After a mile or two of thankless toil on the slopes of The Twins, the trail crossed the Pacific Crest Trail heading to either Charlton Lake or Bobby Lake, depending on your direction of travel. If anything, the path had become even steeper in grade as it slogged on ever upward through a densely shaded forest. In testament to the geologic origins of the (relatively) small peak, basaltic formations of gray and black rock flanked either side of the trail. Also flanking the trail were a series of small stagnant ponds and sparse meadows, the meadows sprouting where there once were shallow puddles before summer's heat dried them out. 

Just about on the crater's rim

And just like that, the forest ended and the trail charged madly up a slope comprised of inch-high grass. Just when you thought it couldn't get any steeper, it did, but I was by now fully committed to reaching the two summits. After a hot and sweaty bit of hiking, the grass thinned out and then it was all red, brown, and ochre pumice and small rocks as the footpath finally reached the rim. 

Wildfire smoke occluded the view of Waldo Lake

The Twins (or Twin Peaks) implies there are two completely separate summits independent of each other. That indeed is sort of correct but really, the two summits are just a pair of high-points on the rim of a single volcanic crater. The first twin is the smaller of the two and it sits on the north end of the rim. It was with some eagerness that I reached the top of the first twin, fully anticipating a stunning and expansive vista from Waldo Lake to the Three Sisters. 

A spectral South Sister looms in the distance

If I squinted hard, I could maybe and just barely make out either of those landmarks, surprising because Waldo Lake in particular was really very close to the summit and should have been easily visible. Unfortunately though, large areas of California were aflame and a white cloud of haze was hiding Bend and the rest of central Oregon from view. Closer to home, fires had broken out in the Opal Creek Wilderness, on the slopes of Mount Jefferson, and in the Sweet Creek area of the Coastal Range. I'm not sure which one of those fires were contributing the layer of dirty brown smoke but it may have been a combination of all of them. 

If nothing else, The Twins are colorful

At any rate, the haze and smoke did detract from the would-be view. Despite the limited visibility though, it was still kind of awesome in its own little opaque fashion. South Sister, Bachelor Butte, and nearby Charlton Butte were all visible in a spectral ghostlike smoky way. Charlton Lake and several large reservoirs to the east accented the dark forests covering the land between peaks. Huge Waldo Lake sprawled right below the smaller of The Twins, a great big sapphire hole in the forest tapestry covering the volcanic terrain. 

The path climbs up to the taller of the two Twins

A short walk to the taller Twins summit provided some sense of closure and the same views but with the addition of Diamond and Maiden Peaks to the south. Gold and Bobby Lakes kowtowed and prostrated themselves at the feet of their respective mountains, demonstrating utmost reverence for those greater than themselves. And always, the view from either Twin provided a look at the colorful rocks of and soils of the other Twin. 

A sparse prairie between Twins

All good things come to an end, though and so it was with this hike. On the way down, I ran into several groups of mountain bikers on foot, laboriously pushing their bikes upward, breathing heavily as they did so. Good, I was thinking it was just me but maybe the trail really was as steep as it felt. 

Gold Lake grovels at the feet of Diamond Peak

For more photos of this hike, please visit the Flickr album.

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Bobby Lake

Years ago, Mrs. O'Neill and I did an epic six-day, seventy-eight mile backpack trip from Willamette Pass to McKenzie Pass and somehow, we still managed to remain married in spite of this trek. On our first day, we stopped for lunch at Bobby Lake and felt pretty proud of ourselves because it had been a nine mile hike to get there and we did it by lunch time! Woo-hoo, we were pretty awesome hikers back then. There is an easier way to get to Bobby Lake though, one can simply grab the Bobby Lake Trail from Forest Road 5897 (a.k.a.Waldo Lake Road) for a short 5'ish mile out-and-back hike. Since I was on my way to Odell Lake to meet some friends for a camping and hiking extravaganza on the trails of the Diamond Peak Wilderness, a hike to Bobby Lake seemed like an enjoyable way to break up the long drive to Odell Lake.

Intersection with the Pacific Crest Trail

Bobby Lake lies to the south of the Three Sisters Wilderness and accordingly, there are a number of small volcanic peaks and cones nearby. I was reminded of this fact by the dust clouds that rose up from the trail with each step I took. The soil is all pumice dust and fine volcanic ash, both easily stirred up by hiking boots, and I certainly picked the wrong day and trail to stay clean on, good thing I'd be camping by a lake.

The hike to Bobby Lake was basically
a mostly level walk through a forest

The actual trail to Bobby Lake was not all that much to write about, consisting of a straight shot to the lake through a viewless forest with little or no undergrowth. Mountain bikers and faster hikers occasionally whizzed by, leaving me behind to eat their dust. There were several trail intersections to sort out but since I had an accurate map in hand, there were no misplaced hikers in the hiking of this hike.

The end of the trail (except for the rest of the trail)

At each trail junction, marker medallions on signposts proclaimed this trail to be part of the Eugene to Pacific Crest Trail, an ambitious trail project that is more concept than actual trail. That would certainly be a fun backpack trip but make sure to pack your uphill leg muscles. The last trail junction was with the actual Pacific Crest Trail and from there, it was a quarter-mile walk to Bobby Lake itself. One little oddity about intersecting the Pacific Crest Trail is that about a quarter-mile prior to that event, a signpost marked the official end of the Eugene to Pacific Crest Trail. Seems to me like you'd want to actually reach the Pacific Crest Trail before making the "mission accomplished" declaration. Either that or change the trail name to Eugene to Almost the Pacific Crest Trail.

The Twins rise up over Bobby Lake

Bobby Lake is a beautiful mountain lake sited between The Twins and Maiden Peak, both of which were visible on opposing skylines. The blue waters of the peaceful lake were surrounded by acres and acres of dark forest sloping up to the aforementioned peaks. Small puffy clouds formed overhead and slowly drifted away on the high air currents and I found myself wishing I had brought a tent and sleeping bag with me because who wants to ever leave such an idyllic place?

Bobby Lake on a lazy afternoon

I followed the lake's shore for about a half-mile, stopping at a scenic rocky slope diving into the lake itself. It was nice to sit and reminisce about our visit to this lake so many years ago. Not as nice to reminisce about was a chat we had with a mountain biker as we ate lunch back then, he made sure to tell us several times that he used a root ball just before stopping by to say hello. In hiking vernacular, he was telling us he pooped and I'm not sure why he felt the need to let us know, but there are no secrets on the trail.

Hold the lightning bolts in abeyance, please

Anyway, I had a lake and campout to get to, so after a nice little view soak while wandering lost on Memory Lane, it was time to head back to the trailhead. One difference between then and now was that I didn't really have to deal with mosquitoes this time out. Some memories you just don't like to remember, but on that epic backpack trip, for all six days I had to contend with voracious mosquito swarms and an increasingly hostile Mrs. O'Neill (hostile because of the mosquitoes, which were CLEARLY my fault). 

Aster is summer's last hurrah, personified

For more photos of this hike, please visit the Flickr album.

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Maiden Peak

One recent hot summer day, Lane and I went off in search of a fair Maiden. No, that's not what it sounds like, the object of our affection on this particular day was 7,818 foot high Maiden Peak. Neither one of us had ever been to the top of Maiden Peak before so you might say this was a maiden hike to Maiden Peak for us Maiden maidens. 

Lush forest surrounded the trail

Starting at the Maiden Peak Trailhead, which is near Gold Lake which in turn is near Willamette Pass, our first impression was that of walking uphill. Stands to reason, since the trail would gain about 2,800 feet of elevation in nearly 6 miles, most of it seemingly in the last mile. While the grade was never overwhelming (except for the last mile), it was constant. And the the last mile?  Lane said it was like falling because it only hurts at the end. You could say the same thing about hot salsa, too. My own wry observation is that spending all day with the Maiden left me with tired legs and sore feet, plus I was covered in sweat, dust, and itchy mosquito bites which is pretty much what you deserve when you go wandering off in search of fair maidens.

Pinesap emerges

My preconceived notion about the Maiden Peak Trail was that it was a dry and dusty hike. Not true at all, for the trail was green and lush for all but the last mile of the hike. The trail ambled through a thick fir forest and we were grateful for the shade as it has been fairly warm lately. The understory was carpeted with low-growing Cascade huckleberry, some of which had the small but delicious red berries on them. Little prince's pine was flowering still and the pale orange stalks of pinesap were pushing through the soil.

We grazed next to Skyline Creek

Before the days of the Pacific Crest Trail, Oregon boasted the Oregon Skyline Trail which essentially did what the Pacific Crest Trail does now. However, the Skyline Trail was much more sensible than the PCT because the OST made sure to hit all the creeks and lakes on the way, keeping long distance hikers well watered. The PCT builders insisted the new trail needed to stay high on the Cascade crest and eventually, the Skyline Trail sort of disappeared from sight when the PCT received all the hiking love after construction. I was reminded of all this because the Maiden Peak Trail below the PCT was part of the old Skyline Trail and it crossed Skyline Creek, still flowing fast and fresh in late summer. Blueberries were in season along the creek and I'm glad to report many blueberries were harmed in the hiking of this hike.

Hiking uphill for 6 miles makes Lane sad

I keep citing that last mile because it was pretty sleep but the mile from Skyline Creek to the Pacific Crest Trail was also pretty sleep, climbing 600 feet in a warm-up for the upcoming summit slog. We stopped for a brief rest and sandwich stop after crossing the PCT and met a very fit pair of age fifty-something gentlemen running (yes, I said "running") to the top of Maiden Peak. We ran into them again on their way down and they told us they were training for "The Waldo", a 62-mile trail run in the Waldo Lake area that also summits three peaks along the way. Lane and I felt like little girls (or maybe old maids), compared to their level of fitness and trail derring-do.

Toad had to hike uphill, too

There really isn't a lot to report about the middle portion of the hike as the trail steadily climbed up through the viewless forest. Periodically, stagnant ponds lay next to the trail and that explained the mosquitoes. Polliwogs swam in the turbid waters and the occasional toad was spotted hopping away in panic. And just as Lane and I both became complacent about the relatively gentle grade: Wham!

Did I mention the trail was steep?

The trail went steep and didn't even pretend to switchback and our progress became as slow and painful as a constipatory turd making its way out into the world. The trees began to thin out, rockpiles showed up here and there, and the trail went from normal dirt to dusty pumice. At a cairn marking the intersection with the "Leap of Faith" trail (a steep and faint track dropping down to Maiden Lake), we made a left turn and for the first time all day, we felt like the actual summit of Maiden Peak was imminent.

First view from the top of Maiden Peak

Sure enough, the trees thinned out altogether and we strolled out onto the barren summit of Maiden Peak. Wow! Mountains and lakes everywhere and views all the way to Inner Mongolia. Ok, I'm exaggerating, maybe Outer Mongolia. Actually, we could see South Sister, her head hiding in the clouds and just beyond, the spire of Mount Washington, looking all the world like Sauron's redoubt in Mordor. At Maiden's feet lay bright blue Bobby Lake with Maiden's nearest mountain neighbor The Twins rising just beyond the lake.

View to Davis Lake and Wickiup Reservoir 

Waldo Lake is Oregon's second largest natural lake and we could see pretty much all of it. To the south were lakes Odell, Crescent, and Lower Rosary. Diamond Peak had plenty of snow and clouds surrrounding it and further beyond was the pinnacle of Mount Thielsen. A small little mound near Thielsen was Tipsoo Peak, where I had hiked the day prior. To the east lay semi-dry Wickiup Reservoir and Davis Lake on a forested plain with central Oregon stretching out further beyond all the way to Outer Mongolia.

Old maid on Maiden Peak

Clouds were forming on the west side of Maiden Peak and the resultant shadows mottled the forested topography below. A chill wind was blowing on the summit and it nearly felt like winter. Windbreakers were quickly donned for protection from the wind. After sandwiches were consumed and all the possible photographs were taken, it was time to head back as after all, we still had a six-mile hike back to the car.

The Twins, with the Three Sisters further beyond

As we descended, shadows lengthened in the forest while sunbeams slanted through the trees. We noticed several miles of old wire abandoned along the trail and armed with that knowledge, we became quite adept at picking out the ceramic insulators from the "good old days" tacked onto trees. It had been a long hike and we arrived at the trailhead at 8 o'clock, pretty much at sunset. Tack on dinner in Cottage Grove and a three-plus hour drive to Roseburg, we arrived at our hometown a few clock ticks before midnight. But hey, that'll happen when you chase fair Maidens!  

Little prince's pine

For more pictures of this hike, please visit the Flickr album.

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