Monday, June 17, 2013

Sisters-Old Santiam Wagon Road- McKenzie River

4-day solo bikepacking trip from Sisters, Oregon, across the Old Santiam Wagon Road, to the McKenzie River trail and back. Perfect weather, one cold spring, one hot spring, 6 pinch flats, a bunch of broken equipment and lots of grinning. It was the best bikepacking trip I've ever done.

Partial GPS tracks here

 Leaving Sisters

 The gravel turns red

 The route ran through a section of burned forest...

... and downed trees. Ugh, hike-a-bike

 Mt. Washington through the burn


 Clear Lake- it's actually that blue

 Lava country

 Crazy ass bug

 McKenzie River- one of many crossings like this

Sahalie Falls

One of many technical lava sections


 Look closely on the right, there is a hot springs cave
 
 Another view from Clear Lake

 This section was so cool. Just follow an old trail, nothing packed down and obvious, all old growth trees, lots of lava and nobody in sight


 Shot taken of bug chomped leg the night before the mosquitoes got bad

 High country mountain flowers

 Moonscape- volcanic debris from extinct volcano Sand Mountain

 Last night campsite near Sand Mt

 Old fire lookout tower on top of Sand Mt


 Looking south from Sand Mt looking at Mt Washington and the Three Sisters Mts

 Looking north at Three Fingered Jack and Mt Jefferson

 Looking west, you can see the McKenzie river valley

Good old Karate Monkey!