Green Lakes Hike – Bend, Oregon

On the 3rd day of the CAI-PNW visit to Bend, Oregon, 11 members hiked the popular Green Lakes trail. It is so popular that this year a permitting system was enacted. Special thanks to Kevin and Linda for getting the permits and hosting. If you were thinking of skipping the permit, forget about it. There was a ranger at the trailhead checking for them. The Green Lakes trail is in the Three Sisters Wilderness of Oregon’s central Cascade Mountains. It is an 8.4 mile out and back hike with 1,150 feet of elevation. The trail follows Fall Creek past several waterfalls and the edge of a lava flow, where obsidian rock can be seen. After crossing 3 log bridges and a few snow packs, the trail comes to an open meadow, where the lakes are found.

From here there are spectacular views of 3 Mountains, South Sister, Broken Top, and, in a certain spot, Mt. Bachelor (ski resort). As it is with large groups, not everyone hikes at the same speed. After a few miles, we split into a fast group and a casual group. The casual group never made it to the top, but did enjoy the scenery and found a wonderful lunch spot with views of Broken Top. The faster group was slowed down by a bridge that was broken (technically closed) and only one person at a time crossed. Each person was expected to do a yoga tree pose in the middle of the bridge before crossing. Some were pretty good; others cheated and used their poles. There were some good laughs as I mostly failed at it. As it turned-out, both groups made it back to the trailhead within 10 minutes of each other. No need to shuffle car passengers, which was a discussion when the group split-up. Afterwards, we had our final dinner of the trip at Kevin and Linda’s and enjoyed each other’s company.

Submitted by Patrick Callahan