5 Peaks Traverse FKT 9/24/24
Splits:
North Sister 2:50:40
Middle Sister 4:13:00
South Sister 6:50:50
Broken Top 9:21:21
Mt. Bachelor 13:21:40
Cascade Lakes Highway: 14:11:51
Alex and I completed this route together as a mixed gender effort. We intended to go unsupported and completed the route as such, with one exception noted below which makes it a self-supported effort.
We set off at 5:47am from the Pole Creek TH, heading from north to south. We carried a self-issue day permit which was never checked (no rangers seen).
We aimed to improve Jenny Abegg’s effort. I had considered completing the route as a female effort so 15:21 was the time to beat; together Alex and I figured that was challenging and a stout time to aim for. I came into the route not recovered from a severe head cold, and was quite nervous that I wouldn’t be able to keep the pace that Alex does in the mountains, but our schedules and the weather had aligned so we went for it.
Jenny’s time proved to be a constant chase most of the day. We stayed ahead of her prior splits but not with a lot of wiggle room. We did not take any significant breaks and were quick at summits. After Broken Top, we had a more comfortable lead. Unfortunately, a stump kick around mile one led to swelling and pain in Alex’s ankle. He hung in but ran out of ibruprofen, and was debating his ability to continue. He was confident if he had more he would be able to finish, and I insisted that unless he felt the need to stop, we complete the route together regardless of style or time. Luckily we passed one hiker and she offered a couple of Aleve, which proved to be crucial. The pain was relieved for the most part and we were able to continue running, and finished the route with a gorgeous sunset on Mt. Bachelor and a quick descent as darkness fell.
Our final time as we touched the white line on the Cascade Lakes Highway was 14:11:51, about 1 hour and 7 minutes ahead of our goal.
Alex and I are both extremely familiar with the entirety of the route and our lines were for the most part exactly what we wanted them to be. We were able to efficiently move through most of the terrain. Particular tedious sections are the descent of Middle and the ascent of South on the north ridge. North Sister’s terrible traverse seemed to be more narrow and less traveled than seasons past, especially this late in the season.
Conditions: fairly pristine. Temps at the start were high 40’s, high mid-70’s in the afternoon as we ascended Broken Top. Minimal ice in the bowling alley of North Sister was avoidable; the cobblestone climb was damp but not slippery. The glaciers between North and Middle were passable without traction. Middle was snow-free. The north ridge of South had thin snow patches that was at times unavoidable but surprisingly welcome, as it provided deeper footholds on the otherwise crappy difficult section around 9700’.
We collected water from numerous sources: water running down Collier glacier, the very sad looking Irving glacier, melt off the Lewis glacier descending to Green Lakes, streams along the Soda Creek trail, the outlet of Todd Lake, and the bathrooms at Mt. Bachelor.
Notes:
-The route is a bit awkward with 4 of the peaks in the first half and then mostly running for the second. We wished Tumalo Mountain was included to break up the monotony of the final running miles- in fact we just wish there were more mountains.
-Ascending the north side of South Sister requires experience on various types of central Oregon choss to make it safer. While less exposed, slightly lower angle and less technical than North Sister, it requires a similar skill set. There is significant exposure and as Alex remarked, the longest stretch of poorest quality rock he’s experienced. This is the only place we witnessed rockfall, and it was when we were descending Middle.
Thanks Ben Harris for very helpful beta. He completed this route PLUS Tumalo Mtn with a partner the weekend before. We were tempted to tack on Tumalo, but opted for Mexican food instead. Also thanks to the hiker who gave Alex ibuprofen, and Dan for both of the long shuttles.
Alex is an outstanding big effort partner and I am so happy we were able to do this route together. It was more fun than suffering because of him.