Snowslogger - Oct 16, 2023 9:49 am Date Climbed: Jun 23, 2020
Second Time, with Andy
Went with my friend Andy to finally climb his last Oregon volcano. Went in from Pole Creek up the east side alongside the Hayden Glacier. Continuing on leisurely working my way through climbing the Cascade volcanoes a second time.
Moogie737 - May 8, 2022 3:36 pm Date Climbed: May 4, 2022
Full on alpine experience May 3/4
#1 05-04-22 W/ Lana and Max of TMG. Hit snow deep enough for snowshoes 20 minutes after leaving the Pole Creek TH on May 3rd. Camped at 6,860' (4.2 miles) with a spectacular mountain view and out of the west winds which were blowing spindrift off the Middle Sister summit. With crampons started at 4:20 the morning of the 4th and reached the windswept summit 3+33 later. Some very steep but stable rime snow on the Collier Glacier side of the North Ridge. Almost zero rock showing from the saddle to the summit. From the saddle at 9,200' we booted it back to camp (no crampons needed), rested, broke camp and hiked out in rapidly warming snow using snowshoes until 10 minutes before the TH. All in all a wonderful winter-like experience. I wouldn't want to do it in any other conditions.
yadahzoemtn - May 7, 2022 2:59 pm Date Climbed: May 4, 2022
two day weather window
We got a two day weather window and with the help of Timberline Guide, Max we made it to the top.
elisabeth120 - Sep 6, 2021 1:56 pm Date Climbed: Aug 4, 2021
Fun scramble!
Took the Obsidian Trail to climbers trail. Amazing views, beautiful terrain, fun scramble! Be prepared...long trek with lots of rock and scree along the way. Worth every step!
blueshade - Aug 15, 2020 10:20 pm Date Climbed: Jul 24, 2020
bonus after North Sister
North Ridge is much easier than it appears. Save yourself the effort and go down the glacier on the way back. Awesome seeing all the peaks lined up in the distance.
Solo attempt via Obsidian trail and Renfrew Glacier. A sketchy bit of ice stopped me about 100 vertical feet short of the summit. Very disappointing; must return and try again soon.
Sawtooth Scott - Jun 30, 2018 9:50 pm Date Climbed: Jun 28, 2018
Middle Sister via SE Ridge
My oldest son and I had the mountain to ourselves with clear skies and mild winds on our ascent day. We selected a route that took us up the snowfield along the south east ridge and then traversed left over the large ridge boulders to connect with the clinber's trail a few hundred feet below the summit. We took the climbers trail down through the scree.
The hike from the Pole Creek TH takes you through the burned remains of the 2012 fire. Soap Creek camping is unwise given the large amount of deadwood waiting to drop. After about 3 miles you enter the surviving forest. We encountered snow at about 7000 ft. We camped in a sandy caldera below Camp Lake.. Along the climbing route, lots of cool buterflies were seen and we spotted some large goat tracks traversing the Chambers Lakes pass .
gimpilator - Oct 20, 2017 2:51 pm Date Climbed: Jul 17, 2017
35 peaks in 16 days
Road trip! Went up Middle after climbing North. Trip report
Harvest - Aug 16, 2017 12:50 pm Date Climbed: Jun 11, 2016
Clear Skies
* North Ridge 6-11-16
* North Ridge 7-4-17
Pallando - Aug 16, 2017 12:50 am Date Climbed: Aug 13, 2017
Cloudy Day on Renfrew Glacier
Took some first timers up Renfrew Glacier. Super smoky conditions from all the fires. Came in from Scott Trailhead (NOT Scott PAS TH, mind you) because we couldn't get an Obsidian LE Permit in time. Camped at Sister Spring for the night, then did the summit push the next day.
All the smoke was replaced by clouds for day 2. Some light rain, but otherwise just bad visibility. Such a shame; this was the first cloudy day in what seems like months. Crampons and poles for me, but some ice axe practice for other group members. Made the summit and saw absolutely nothing.
We came down to find out that wildfires were coming in. Rather than take the long way out, we cheated up the Obsidian Trail (without a permit! GASP!). Probably a safe bet. In the next two days, the entire Three Sisters Wilderness Area closed due to fires.
This was one long day. I decided to make the climb and headed out from Scappoose just after 6:00 pm. It took about 3.5 hours and I didn't arrive at the Pole Creek trail head until almost 10 am. After finally finding a parking spot I started my climb at about 10:15 am. I decided on 6 hours up and 4 hours down, so I gave myself until 4:15 pm to summit. It was a beautiful blue bird day and I was really hoping to summit but I didn't want to be hanging out on the mountain as darkness fell.
I followed the trail until a junction near where it goes over a creek. One trail goes on to Green Lake and the other goes up the mountain. I took a right here and went up the mountain. I followed this trail until about elevation 6000, which is just above the burn zone. From here I went bushwacking using a bearing directly east at 270 degrees. This direction put me just on the climbers right of the Hayden glacier. I followed a dry creek and then the lateral moraines on this same bearing which generally pointed at Prouty Point
The Glacier had sizable crevasses across it and wasn't a viable route. So I ascended the moraines just north of the glacier. I finally stepped onto snow at about elevation 8300 along a ridge that goes directly at Prouty Point. Once I was close to Prouty Point I went around it staying on the ridge but as far away as I could get from Prouty Point. There were lots of large rocks that had fallen from Prouty. I came into the Hayden-Renfrew saddle and from there I found an easy way to get on the North Ridge route. Along the North Ridge there is a 3rd or 4th class scramble up about 1000 ft of the usual cascade scree. Lots of large loose rocks with opportunity to knock a rock loose, so cautious climbing is required.
I summited at 4:20 pm, which was only 5 minutes behind my schedule. I was rather surprised at my luck to actually arrive at about the time I planned. I found a couple other climbers there. We had a pleasant conversation and they took a couple nice photos of me on the summit.
After about 1/2 hour of rest I started back down the same route. The scramble down was uneventful and once on the snow I found the soft snow very easy to plunge step. I stuck on the snow all the way down to where it ended in Squaw Creek at about elevation 7800. I followed Squaw Creek until it intersected the climbers trail near the confluence of the two forks. I followed the trail back to the Pole Creek Trail head and arrived at 8:16 PM, which was 10 hours from my start. So I made my goal of 6 hours up and 4 hours down. This included 30 minutes at the summit, a 30 minute break to fix a couple of blisters (new boots) and another 15 minute break to fill a water bladder and eat lunch.
It ended up being a 16-17 mile day and 4800 ft of elevation gain and then loss. Since it was a warm sunny day and the snow was soft I left the crampons and ice axe in the car. The boots and trekking poles worked nicely going up the soft snow. After a 3.5 hour drive home I was back in Scappoose at 12:20 am; a long, but fun 18 hour day.
emilie - May 9, 2016 12:54 pm Date Climbed: May 8, 2016
N ridge via Hayden
Good times with a big Cascades Mountaineers group. Middle had been on my list for a while and it was fun to co-lead it for some beginner/intermediate snow climbers! The approach was harder than I expected and the climb itself was a little easier than expected.
adamschneider - Aug 16, 2015 7:10 pm Date Climbed: Aug 15, 2015
Up north ridge, down SE ridge - no glaciers
We started at the Pole creek Trailhead and followed the climber's trail (or something close to it) up to the bottom of Hayden Glacier. However, the glacier had sizable crevasses running all the way across it, and it wasn't a viable route. Instead, we ascended moraines and cinders and snowfields just north of the glacier, which took us to the fantastically scenic pass immediately below North Sister (at the top of Collier Glacier). Then we went around the back side of Prouty Point to the Hayden-Renfrew saddle, and from there it was the usual North Ridge route. (NOTE: In the section just south of the saddle, it's best to stay on the edge of the ridge as much as possible if conditions permit. The west side, while less exposed than the crest, is a horrible sand/scree slog that you really don't want to deal with.)
With the encouragement of a couple other hikers at the summit, we descended on the very steep southeast ridge (once again: stay on the ridge crest as much as possible!). We were hoping to be able to cut across Diller Glacier, and then the moraines east of Diller, to get back to the north climber's trail. Unfortunately, Diller was just as impassible as Hayden, so we had to descend all the way to Camp Lake to pick up a decent trail back to our car. Getting down to Camp Lake was mostly cross-country bushwhacking; the lack of defined trails between the lake and the SE ridge was surprising.
Overall, it ended up being an 18-19 mile day. (It would have been about 16.3 miles if we'd done a straightforward round-trip up and down the north-of-Hayden route.) Due to the warm/dry year we've had, there was VERY little snow, and no special gear was needed, other than trekking poles and sunglasses.
Tkuiawa - Jun 15, 2015 3:45 am Date Climbed: Jun 14, 2015
Middle Sister
Absolutely beautiful conditions today! Snow for the most part. Nice and firm. Zero wind......doesn't get much better!
tyler.r.harvey - Feb 26, 2015 3:23 pm Date Climbed: Feb 22, 2015
High winds at the summit
Low snow this year allowed for an early start from Pole Creek trailhead. We followed the Green Lakes trail for a few hours up to the North Fork of Whychus Creek, and camped just below the treeline, around 6800 feet.
The weather report had warned of high winds on Sunday evening, but we figured we'd be able to make it safely up in the morning. We woke up at 7am to a clear, sunny day, and we could see pillars of wind-blown snow flying off the top of North Sister. Conditions were perfect until we approached the saddle between Middle and North; the snow on Hayden Glacier was firm but not awfully slippery. The wind speed picked up as we ascended, though, and within a thousand feet of the saddle, the force of the wind was nearly strong enough to push us up the slope. The thin, snowy north ridge looked awfully exposed with wind so strong, so we turned around by 10am before touching the peak.
PDuckX - Aug 25, 2014 3:54 pm Date Climbed: Aug 24, 2014
Beautiful Day
Climbed with a great group of Mazama's up the Hayden Glacier. 4am start and made the summit by 8:30. Spent at least 45 minutes at the top in great conditions. No wind, pleasant temperature.
Nick Turtura - Aug 11, 2014 5:30 pm Date Climbed: Aug 9, 2014
Full Moon
Went back up with the wife and friends for the full moon. The snow field is pretty much gone just above the crux. Tread lightly on the crux so we can keep this mountain together for a while longer. We don't need 2 ugly sisters.
Nick Turtura - Aug 4, 2014 8:36 pm Date Climbed: Aug 1, 2014
Great day
Headed up to give Hope a visit. Camped in the Obsidian Wilderness. Watched a beautiful lightening storm that night. Went up the North ridge. There does seem to be a bit of a Northern snow field hanging on just above the crux. I skirted it to the climbers right. Beautiful summit, and a great descent to Arrow Head lake where I took a dip to cool off.
mbt - Jun 11, 2014 12:09 pm Date Climbed: Jun 8, 2014
first technical snow climb
Climbed with the Mazamas. We had a beautiful day with great weather and views. Left from Pole Creek trailhead and set up base camp at the bottom of the Hayden Glacier. We then climbed the glacier and ascended via the North Ridge, traveling in rope teams and using a running belay for some of the steeper parts of the ascent. We hit snow about 2/3 of the way to base camp. Conditions were good except for what seemed to me some icy stuff at the start of the ascent of the ridge. We wound up climbing in a rocky area to avoid that part of the descent. Some of the upper stuff is pretty steep but not for long. We were able to plunge step almost the whole way back to camp after getting off the ridge. Definitely a step up from the things I've done before (Adams, Mt. St. Helens), and some of the more experienced climbers in the group noted that parts of the ascent were a little more challenging than they had anticipated.
Snowslogger - Oct 16, 2023 9:49 am Date Climbed: Jun 23, 2020
Second Time, with AndyWent with my friend Andy to finally climb his last Oregon volcano. Went in from Pole Creek up the east side alongside the Hayden Glacier. Continuing on leisurely working my way through climbing the Cascade volcanoes a second time.
Moogie737 - May 8, 2022 3:36 pm Date Climbed: May 4, 2022
Full on alpine experience May 3/4#1 05-04-22 W/ Lana and Max of TMG. Hit snow deep enough for snowshoes 20 minutes after leaving the Pole Creek TH on May 3rd. Camped at 6,860' (4.2 miles) with a spectacular mountain view and out of the west winds which were blowing spindrift off the Middle Sister summit. With crampons started at 4:20 the morning of the 4th and reached the windswept summit 3+33 later. Some very steep but stable rime snow on the Collier Glacier side of the North Ridge. Almost zero rock showing from the saddle to the summit. From the saddle at 9,200' we booted it back to camp (no crampons needed), rested, broke camp and hiked out in rapidly warming snow using snowshoes until 10 minutes before the TH. All in all a wonderful winter-like experience. I wouldn't want to do it in any other conditions.
yadahzoemtn - May 7, 2022 2:59 pm Date Climbed: May 4, 2022
two day weather windowWe got a two day weather window and with the help of Timberline Guide, Max we made it to the top.
elisabeth120 - Sep 6, 2021 1:56 pm Date Climbed: Aug 4, 2021
Fun scramble!Took the Obsidian Trail to climbers trail. Amazing views, beautiful terrain, fun scramble! Be prepared...long trek with lots of rock and scree along the way. Worth every step!
blueshade - Aug 15, 2020 10:20 pm Date Climbed: Jul 24, 2020
bonus after North SisterNorth Ridge is much easier than it appears. Save yourself the effort and go down the glacier on the way back. Awesome seeing all the peaks lined up in the distance.
Judd97 - Sep 28, 2019 12:03 pm Date Climbed: Sep 27, 2019
Obsidian Trail to RenfrewObsidian Tr to Renfrew glacier. Great little climb!
theoglick - Apr 7, 2019 8:38 pm Date Climbed: Jul 14, 2013
Almost...Solo attempt via Obsidian trail and Renfrew Glacier. A sketchy bit of ice stopped me about 100 vertical feet short of the summit. Very disappointing; must return and try again soon.
Sawtooth Scott - Jun 30, 2018 9:50 pm Date Climbed: Jun 28, 2018
Middle Sister via SE RidgeMy oldest son and I had the mountain to ourselves with clear skies and mild winds on our ascent day. We selected a route that took us up the snowfield along the south east ridge and then traversed left over the large ridge boulders to connect with the clinber's trail a few hundred feet below the summit. We took the climbers trail down through the scree.
The hike from the Pole Creek TH takes you through the burned remains of the 2012 fire. Soap Creek camping is unwise given the large amount of deadwood waiting to drop. After about 3 miles you enter the surviving forest. We encountered snow at about 7000 ft. We camped in a sandy caldera below Camp Lake.. Along the climbing route, lots of cool buterflies were seen and we spotted some large goat tracks traversing the Chambers Lakes pass .
gimpilator - Oct 20, 2017 2:51 pm Date Climbed: Jul 17, 2017
35 peaks in 16 daysRoad trip! Went up Middle after climbing North. Trip report
Harvest - Aug 16, 2017 12:50 pm Date Climbed: Jun 11, 2016
Clear Skies* North Ridge 6-11-16
* North Ridge 7-4-17
Pallando - Aug 16, 2017 12:50 am Date Climbed: Aug 13, 2017
Cloudy Day on Renfrew GlacierTook some first timers up Renfrew Glacier. Super smoky conditions from all the fires. Came in from Scott Trailhead (NOT Scott PAS TH, mind you) because we couldn't get an Obsidian LE Permit in time. Camped at Sister Spring for the night, then did the summit push the next day.
All the smoke was replaced by clouds for day 2. Some light rain, but otherwise just bad visibility. Such a shame; this was the first cloudy day in what seems like months. Crampons and poles for me, but some ice axe practice for other group members. Made the summit and saw absolutely nothing.
We came down to find out that wildfires were coming in. Rather than take the long way out, we cheated up the Obsidian Trail (without a permit! GASP!). Probably a safe bet. In the next two days, the entire Three Sisters Wilderness Area closed due to fires.
fekjpk24 - Jul 25, 2016 9:18 pm Date Climbed: Jul 24, 2016
Middle Sister SoloThis was one long day. I decided to make the climb and headed out from Scappoose just after 6:00 pm. It took about 3.5 hours and I didn't arrive at the Pole Creek trail head until almost 10 am. After finally finding a parking spot I started my climb at about 10:15 am. I decided on 6 hours up and 4 hours down, so I gave myself until 4:15 pm to summit. It was a beautiful blue bird day and I was really hoping to summit but I didn't want to be hanging out on the mountain as darkness fell.
I followed the trail until a junction near where it goes over a creek. One trail goes on to Green Lake and the other goes up the mountain. I took a right here and went up the mountain. I followed this trail until about elevation 6000, which is just above the burn zone. From here I went bushwacking using a bearing directly east at 270 degrees. This direction put me just on the climbers right of the Hayden glacier. I followed a dry creek and then the lateral moraines on this same bearing which generally pointed at Prouty Point
The Glacier had sizable crevasses across it and wasn't a viable route. So I ascended the moraines just north of the glacier. I finally stepped onto snow at about elevation 8300 along a ridge that goes directly at Prouty Point. Once I was close to Prouty Point I went around it staying on the ridge but as far away as I could get from Prouty Point. There were lots of large rocks that had fallen from Prouty. I came into the Hayden-Renfrew saddle and from there I found an easy way to get on the North Ridge route. Along the North Ridge there is a 3rd or 4th class scramble up about 1000 ft of the usual cascade scree. Lots of large loose rocks with opportunity to knock a rock loose, so cautious climbing is required.
I summited at 4:20 pm, which was only 5 minutes behind my schedule. I was rather surprised at my luck to actually arrive at about the time I planned. I found a couple other climbers there. We had a pleasant conversation and they took a couple nice photos of me on the summit.
After about 1/2 hour of rest I started back down the same route. The scramble down was uneventful and once on the snow I found the soft snow very easy to plunge step. I stuck on the snow all the way down to where it ended in Squaw Creek at about elevation 7800. I followed Squaw Creek until it intersected the climbers trail near the confluence of the two forks. I followed the trail back to the Pole Creek Trail head and arrived at 8:16 PM, which was 10 hours from my start. So I made my goal of 6 hours up and 4 hours down. This included 30 minutes at the summit, a 30 minute break to fix a couple of blisters (new boots) and another 15 minute break to fill a water bladder and eat lunch.
It ended up being a 16-17 mile day and 4800 ft of elevation gain and then loss. Since it was a warm sunny day and the snow was soft I left the crampons and ice axe in the car. The boots and trekking poles worked nicely going up the soft snow. After a 3.5 hour drive home I was back in Scappoose at 12:20 am; a long, but fun 18 hour day.
emilie - May 9, 2016 12:54 pm Date Climbed: May 8, 2016
N ridge via HaydenGood times with a big Cascades Mountaineers group. Middle had been on my list for a while and it was fun to co-lead it for some beginner/intermediate snow climbers! The approach was harder than I expected and the climb itself was a little easier than expected.
adamschneider - Aug 16, 2015 7:10 pm Date Climbed: Aug 15, 2015
Up north ridge, down SE ridge - no glaciersWe started at the Pole creek Trailhead and followed the climber's trail (or something close to it) up to the bottom of Hayden Glacier. However, the glacier had sizable crevasses running all the way across it, and it wasn't a viable route. Instead, we ascended moraines and cinders and snowfields just north of the glacier, which took us to the fantastically scenic pass immediately below North Sister (at the top of Collier Glacier). Then we went around the back side of Prouty Point to the Hayden-Renfrew saddle, and from there it was the usual North Ridge route. (NOTE: In the section just south of the saddle, it's best to stay on the edge of the ridge as much as possible if conditions permit. The west side, while less exposed than the crest, is a horrible sand/scree slog that you really don't want to deal with.)
With the encouragement of a couple other hikers at the summit, we descended on the very steep southeast ridge (once again: stay on the ridge crest as much as possible!). We were hoping to be able to cut across Diller Glacier, and then the moraines east of Diller, to get back to the north climber's trail. Unfortunately, Diller was just as impassible as Hayden, so we had to descend all the way to Camp Lake to pick up a decent trail back to our car. Getting down to Camp Lake was mostly cross-country bushwhacking; the lack of defined trails between the lake and the SE ridge was surprising.
Overall, it ended up being an 18-19 mile day. (It would have been about 16.3 miles if we'd done a straightforward round-trip up and down the north-of-Hayden route.) Due to the warm/dry year we've had, there was VERY little snow, and no special gear was needed, other than trekking poles and sunglasses.
Tkuiawa - Jun 15, 2015 3:45 am Date Climbed: Jun 14, 2015
Middle SisterAbsolutely beautiful conditions today! Snow for the most part. Nice and firm. Zero wind......doesn't get much better!
tyler.r.harvey - Feb 26, 2015 3:23 pm Date Climbed: Feb 22, 2015
High winds at the summitLow snow this year allowed for an early start from Pole Creek trailhead. We followed the Green Lakes trail for a few hours up to the North Fork of Whychus Creek, and camped just below the treeline, around 6800 feet.
The weather report had warned of high winds on Sunday evening, but we figured we'd be able to make it safely up in the morning. We woke up at 7am to a clear, sunny day, and we could see pillars of wind-blown snow flying off the top of North Sister. Conditions were perfect until we approached the saddle between Middle and North; the snow on Hayden Glacier was firm but not awfully slippery. The wind speed picked up as we ascended, though, and within a thousand feet of the saddle, the force of the wind was nearly strong enough to push us up the slope. The thin, snowy north ridge looked awfully exposed with wind so strong, so we turned around by 10am before touching the peak.
PDuckX - Aug 25, 2014 3:54 pm Date Climbed: Aug 24, 2014
Beautiful DayClimbed with a great group of Mazama's up the Hayden Glacier. 4am start and made the summit by 8:30. Spent at least 45 minutes at the top in great conditions. No wind, pleasant temperature.
Nick Turtura - Aug 11, 2014 5:30 pm Date Climbed: Aug 9, 2014
Full MoonWent back up with the wife and friends for the full moon. The snow field is pretty much gone just above the crux. Tread lightly on the crux so we can keep this mountain together for a while longer. We don't need 2 ugly sisters.
Nick Turtura - Aug 4, 2014 8:36 pm Date Climbed: Aug 1, 2014
Great dayHeaded up to give Hope a visit. Camped in the Obsidian Wilderness. Watched a beautiful lightening storm that night. Went up the North ridge. There does seem to be a bit of a Northern snow field hanging on just above the crux. I skirted it to the climbers right. Beautiful summit, and a great descent to Arrow Head lake where I took a dip to cool off.
mbt - Jun 11, 2014 12:09 pm Date Climbed: Jun 8, 2014
first technical snow climbClimbed with the Mazamas. We had a beautiful day with great weather and views. Left from Pole Creek trailhead and set up base camp at the bottom of the Hayden Glacier. We then climbed the glacier and ascended via the North Ridge, traveling in rope teams and using a running belay for some of the steeper parts of the ascent. We hit snow about 2/3 of the way to base camp. Conditions were good except for what seemed to me some icy stuff at the start of the ascent of the ridge. We wound up climbing in a rocky area to avoid that part of the descent. Some of the upper stuff is pretty steep but not for long. We were able to plunge step almost the whole way back to camp after getting off the ridge. Definitely a step up from the things I've done before (Adams, Mt. St. Helens), and some of the more experienced climbers in the group noted that parts of the ascent were a little more challenging than they had anticipated.