On 9.6.11 I celebrated a gorgeous summer day by hiking into the crater of Broken Top. I'd seen this volcanic peak for years from a distance but never so close as I got on this wondrous nine mile hike.

I started at the Todd Lake Trailhead, in the Three Sisters Wilderness, passing through a forest with huge mountain hemlocks and soon reached the alpine zone, above timberline. The barrage of color, near and far, was astounding. The late snowpack this year made for spring in September. I only wish I had planned for an overnight ... (more)