Three Fingered Jack

22 miles of hiking • 4000' elevation gain •

An incredible loop all the way around Three Fingered Jack, taking off from Santiam Pass. We traveled counter-clockwise around the ancient volcano, hoping to both follow the sun for better photos, and to get most of the more grueling climbs out of the way earlier in the day. Probably 70% of the entire loop was through areas burned in the 2003 B&B Complex wildfire, and therefore relatively bug-free. The other 30%, though the forest, offered us reason to just keep moving as the little blood-suckers would descend at any opportunity when we stopped.

The first 5.5 or 6 miles wanders through the burned area south of TFJ, past Square, Booth, and a few other unnamed lakes. Because there were no trees, at least none tall enough to block, views of the Three Sisters, Mount Washington, and Broken Top were a constant presence to our south until we actually crested the TFJ saddle. When we hit First Creek, at nearly the 6-mile mark, we diverted off-trail towards TFJ, planning to crest the 6500' saddle before lunch.

This section was slow-going, but absolutely the most interesting (and fun!) of the entire day. Navigation was easy, as we could see our destination the whole way. But footing was tricky, as lots of dead wood covered the ground. Later, the steep scree fields leading up to the saddle presented their own tricks, as each step forward came with great exertion to avoid slipping back.

Our lunch spot just north of the saddle was sublime. Impossible to think of very many that could compare. Words don't help, but hopefully the photos will. (Sadly, upon arriving at the trailhead, I realized my camera was still at home! So, what you see here are nearly all from my cellphone. Ugh! It sufficed, though. And my friends were also busy snapping with their cameras.)

All too soon, we felt the need to get moving again. Still weren't halfway through the day's anticipated mileage, and were still on a course leading us farther away from the trailhead. Descending the saddle into Canyon Creek Meadows was trivial, as we had imagined it may still be snow-covered and require using our spikes. Luckily, the trail(s) were entirely melted out! Although, the melting was so recent, the meadows below were still entirely green, with darn few flower blooms punctuating the vista.

Heading north, we began running into a great number of folks coming in from the Jack Lake trailhead. (One said they'd gone less than three miles to get there, so far, which explained their lack of apparent preparedness.) Most were amazed to hear our plans for the day, and it was fun sharing a bit. We were again nearly alone before long, until we got to Wasco Lake, which seemed to be quite the popular place for camping and swimming.

Climbing up from Wasco Lake, we quickly hit the PCT, and began the long cruise back to Santiam Pass. Here we wove in and out of the burned area, passing many little mosquito ponds along the way. Stopping in the forest proved deadly, as there was no breeze at all to whisk the pesky critters away. The view of TFJ from the PCT in this direction is just stunning. With a low sun, even moreso! Ran into lots more folks, relatively speaking, as we hiked along the PCT. Definitely a highway compared to other nearby trails.

Finished the day back where we started, some 11 hours later. A most memorable day in the woods! :-)

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