Epic Hike on Broken Top

Once I got that idea into my head to take a photo of Faith, Hope and Charity in front of their respective namesake mountains, I couldn’t wait long to make it happen! Hiking is one of my greatest passions, and I go as often as I can afford to.

My three dogs climbed Broken Top with me on Wednesday. It was an enormous accomplishment. I stopped just shy of the summit because I was ultra tired. I didn’t sleep the night before. I have summited Broken Top twice before and explored its various ridges several other times, so I didn’t feel like I was missing out by skipping the last part. The summit block is slightly hazardous and requires either roping up or a short, exposed rock climb. I don’t recommend trying to reach the summit without the proper equipment and skillset. I have climbed it twice without ropes, but it is quite sketchy.

Don’t worry, I didn’t wear out the dogs. Rather, I carried them almost the entire way. They got out to stretch their legs on these boulders along the ridge between South Sister and Broken Top.

The three sister dogs are standing near their corresponding mountains, from left to right: South Sister (Charity), Middle Sister (Hope), and North Sister (Faith).

No A.I. was used in this photo! Though I could have “photoshopped” the dogs into a stock photo easily enough, I chose to put in real effort, no cheating. I hiked all day for 13.5 miles to get this photo! I started in the dark and ended in the dark. Worth it.

Here I am in the same spot:

Here’s South Sister from Green Lakes earlier in the hike:

And finally, here are the stars when I started before daylight (very Steller Sharp!):