The Yelm-Tenino bike trail, a nice break from riding in traffic--sweet!
Pulled into Longview to finish a very pretty day of riding...
Hooked up with my sis and we pointed our boots toward the summit of South Sister. Weather was perfect...
Moving quickly to gain the upper slopes and the endless, sandy staircase...
Heavy holiday traffic...
Hikers on the caldera snow, just below the true summit...
Most climbers stayed off the snow, opting for the perimeter trail, a really pretty ridge walk around the entire rim...
Spend the extra 30 minutes or so to do the perimeter walk...it's really worth it!
"Lemme take a selfie!"
No ill effects after filling my hydration pack with water from the snowmelt tarn. I totally underestimated the water requirements on this one--pack lots!
Dressed for a suburban jog, my sister had no trouble running up the side of this one...congrats, Pooey!
My sister heading down Sister...
Spotted a lone hiker on the beautiful, sandy deproach...
Broken Top, and a lovely lake. I didn't want this one to end...
Next morning, a little sore from the summit stomp, we started the Misery Ridge route in Smith Rocks, a short but spectacular tourist-friendly route...
You'll lose a few hundred feet in the initial drop from the parking lot, then quickly gain a high ridge with grabber views in every direction. Just three miles or so, but what beautiful miles they are!
Hikers moving up tight switches in the first mile...
Same, a little higher...
We arrived at Monkey Face just in time to catch the nausea-inducing spectacle of a pair of climbers moving up a burly route...
I actually got close enough to ask the climbers for permission to post these shots. The leader was amazingly relaxed, and I quickly withdrew so as not to distract him further...
The pair moved quickly up the route, placing what looked like about a dozen anchors in the short face pitch...
Once in the belay cave, the leader prepared to bring up his second...
Hikers can be seen on the approach trail as the second, safely belayed from above, prepares to launch...
On the way down, a reminder of the danger...
The memorable hikeout is flat as it follows the river...
Sissie pioneering a new route on Mini Monkey Face...
Back at the car, I loosened up with a half-mile cruise on the yoo-nee. After that, it was veggie burgers at a quaint roadside joint, then coffee and ice cream in pretty downtown Bend. Fantastic two days in the hills of Oregon!