Raggedy Ruth: South Sister

Monday, August 7, 2017

South Sister

Last month we took fifteen girls (our biggest group yet!) from the cross country team on our annual, summer camping trip. The destination was Elk Lake Resort, with the goal of doing some hiking around South Sister. Ahmma & Dumpa met us there and rented a luxurious, little cabin to sleep in. This year we finally invested in our own tent, an instant, 10-person cabin from Coleman that took one minute to set up. Our first night of sleep was less than desirable, as Tessa woke up around three in the morning crying about being cold. I scooped her up and cuddled with her in my sleeping bag. Benji eventually took her and McKinley to Ahmma & Dumpa's cabin to sleep in their extra bed, while he walked around the campground the rest of the morning. I was in and out of sleep, but Piper remained sound asleep in the tent with me. Needless to say, we were all dragging and a little grumpy when we started our hike. The forest ascent to the base of South Sister was grueling, with Piper, Ahmma and I bringing up the rear. We split into two groups: McKinley, Dumpa & I pressed ahead with Bruce and the girls towards the loop above Moraine Lake, while Dadda rested with Piper, Tessa & Ahmma. We continued on the switch back/ ridge climb, but encountered more snow than we were expecting, so Bruce & I decided to stop and turn around. Meanwhile, Dumpa caught up to us and asked McKinley if she wanted to join him to the summit. It was a tough decision for her as she was having a blast hiking with the girls and didn't want to abandon them. But in the end, she made a wise choice and said goodbye to us. As we were heading down to Moraine Lake, we ran into Benji, who was literally running to catch up to Dumpa and McKinley in the snow field. Bruce and I followed the girls down to Moraine Lake, and after an arduous search we finally met up with Ahmma, Piper & Tessa and headed back to the trailhead. Back at the campground we took a dip in Elk Lake and started to make dinner when our mountain climbers returned. Hearing Benji tell the emotional story of how McKinley persevered to the top of South Sister made me tear up, and I was super proud of them both! Apparently, many of the hikers they passed were very impressed as most of the trail guides found online call it a non-technical but very demanding climb and only recommend the trail for experienced adventurers.