Tag Archives: Bend Oregon

Black Butte

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CAMP SHERMAN, OREGON

DESCHUTES NATIONAL FOREST

Activity: Day Hike, Peak Bagging

4 miles, 6,436’ elevation, 1,538’ elevation change, 3 hour duration, rated Moderate

June 4, 2020

Black Butte Trail is a fun and popular hike in Central Oregon not far from Bend. The views along the way are worth the price of admission, which by the way you will need an America the Beautiful or other more local pass for parking. Like many of the mountains in the area Black Butte has volcanic origins. It is an extinct stratovolcano.

Your hike starts out in beautiful lush green forest. Enjoy the shade while you can as you will climb out of the forest and that will be the end of the shade. The views from Black Butte are utterly amazing along much of the hike. Even the forest provides peak-a-boo glimpses to spur you on along the trail. On top the Cascades come into full view and they are outstanding. Tam McArther Rim, Broken Top, the Sisters, Mount Washington, Three Fingered Jack, Mount Jefferson, Mount Hood, and Mount Adams all laid out before you like the most lavish banquet for the soul.

  • Mount Washington
  • North Sister elevation 10, 090’
  • Sisters
  • Cascade Mountains
  • Cupola Building 1924 observation and living quarters.
  • Mount Jefferson elevation 10,497’
  • TFJ, Three Fingered Jack, elevation 7,844’
  • Mount Washington
Tam McArthur Rim, South and North Sister is blocking Middle Sister, and Belknap Crater
  • Sisters
  • Tam McArthur Rim, South and North Sister is blocking Middle Sister, and Belknap Crater
  • Mount Washington elevation 7,794’
Three Fingered Jack through the firs.
“There are moments when all anxiety and stated toil are becalmed in the infinite leisure and repose of nature.”-Henry David Thoreau
Black Butte

I appreciate you joining my good friend Bruce and I as we found ourselves drinking from the cup of replenishment ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ with the Cascade Mountains on display in all their splendor. To take in so much beauty all at once is almost staggering. Nature has a way of bringing that needle back into balance offsetting our hectic lives and that is exactly what PBTA is all about. There is much more to come. Be sure to COMMENT, FOLLOW, SHARE, and LIKE. Stop by SHOP APPAREL and gear up and then get your boots dusty. Need a place to go? Checkout the menu above each location is a separate website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently.

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure

Hosmer Lake

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DESCHUTES NATIONAL FOREST

Activity: Kayaking, Scenic Views

Date: June 3, 2020

Hosmer Lake sits at about 5,000 feet above sea level and is 20 miles from Bend and what a magnificent body of water. The water is so clear that my friend Bruce was pointing out salmon, and trout like crazy. But we were there to take in some other sites, which were wondrous at every bend.

We were graced by the regal Mt Bachelor, the breathtaking South Sister, and the wild Broken Top all while paddling on beautiful blue water, surrounded by dark green forest, passing vibrant lily pads with bright yellow blossoms, shoreline adorned with fragrant flowers, under a crystal clear sky. It really was spectacular.

Just as Bruce was exclaiming how lucky we were to have this special scene without the crowd, people started arriving and by the time we left the small parking area was just about full. So, the ticket is like so many places arrive earlier paddle around the many twists and turns through marsh and lily pads to the other side of the lake and enjoy.

  • Apparently there is good fishing on Hosmer Lake.
“A lake is the landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature. It is Earth’s eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature.” – Henry David Thorea

Thanks for joining Bruce and I as we paddled through superb natural surroundings with brilliant views of the Oregon Cascades while “Pursuing Balance Through Adventure“. We could have not asked for a more perfect day to take in these astounding views. What a nice way to step out of the chaos of deadlines, boardrooms, phone calls, sales quotas, and budgets, and into the realm of her majesty, Mother Nature, how calming, how peaceful, and tranquil. We need to embrace nature as much and as often as we can because that is a wonderful way to find that balance that we all seek. There is more balance ahead so please COMMENT, LIKE, FOLLOW, and by all means SHARE. Gear up at SHOP APPAREL. Checkout the menu above for a place to find adventure by the way, they are all independent sites from each other, divided by area, and need to be followed separately.

Paddle Hard,

Roger Jenkins, Pursing Balance Through Adventure

Tumalo Mountain trail

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DESCHUTES NATIONAL FOREST

NEAR BEND OREGON

Activity: Day Hike

Date: August 29, 2019

Distance 4 miles, 1,440’ elevation change, 3 hour duration, rated Moderate

Tumalo Mountain, a shield volcano, sits adjacent to majestic Mountain Bachelor near Bend Oregon in the Deschutes National Forest. At over 7700’ it affords wonderful views of Mt Bachelor at 9000’. From the top Tumalo Mountain is optimally located for spanning views of the northwest. Splendidly on display are the Sister’s Mountains, Broken Top and in the other direction Tam McArthur Rim.

Something very special for me to observe was occurring while I was on top of Tumalo Mountain. Yesterday in the late afternoon I was hiking Tumalo Falls. During the hike there was a light rain and distant lightening and thunder. That lightening touched off small forest fires in the area and fire fighters were working hard to make sure they stayed small. From my vantage point atop Tumalo Mountain I could see the aerial attack on that fire and found it fascinating. Crews made drops over and over with orange fire retardant to halt the advancing fire. Thank you fire-fighters for your valiant efforts.

A Northwest Forest Pass is required, and during the winter, if you are snow shoeing, a Snow Pass is required for parking. The trail gains altitude from the get-go as you weave through a sparse evergreen forest, an alpine meadow, until you reach an open portion at the top adorned with twisted white bark pines, and craggy trees. The backside of Tumalo Mountain confirms it’s volcanic origins with a steep hillside of volcanic pumice scree.

I highly recommend this hike. I hike mostly during the week, so the fact that this is a popular hike, simply because it is a great hike with superb views, is close to Bend, and is easy to get to, doesn’t affect me as much, but be aware that if you are hiking prime time – prime season that you won’t be alone. You know that you must be spoiled, in this manner, when you are hiking on a Thursday, and you discover a very chatty group is coming up behind you. I pulled over and let them go by. I believe that they figured out the reason that I stopped, mentioning something along the lines and apologizing. I replied. “Good morning, there is plenty of mountain for everyone.”

  • Mt. Bachelor playing peak-a-boo through the trees.
  • It is funny to think that in just a few short months Mt Bachelor will be packed with skiers and snow boarders, being one of the finest resorts in the country.
Fire Fighters drop fire repellent just in front of the fire to keep it from spreading.
  • The backside of Tumalo Mountain is steep, made up of volcanic pumice scree.
  • Background is Mt Bachelor, Sisters, and Broken Top. Foreground is volcanic pumice scree.
Home is where the mountains are.

Thanks for coming along on this journey of mine ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’. It is my hope that my accounts will inspire you to seek your own counter balance to our busy work a day world through profound encounters with nature. Besides the stretching of the legs, and the breathing of mountain air, it is about setting the soul soaring to the mountain tops, the deserts, the oceans, rivers, lakes or canyons. If you are unable to take an adventure of this nature, for whatever reason, then do so vicariously through me and together we will experience freeing our souls through this medium. So please COMMENT, FOLLOW, LIKE, and SHARE.

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure Videos regarding the hike

Tumalo Mt in the Shadow of Mt Bachelor
Views of Sisters, Broken Top, and Mt Bachelor from Tumalo Mt.
Firefighters make aerial assault on Wildfire as seen from Tumalo Mt.

Deschutes River Trail

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BEND, OREGON

Activity: Day Hike

Date: August 26, 2019

3 miles, 140’ elevation change, 2 hours duration, rated Easy

Bend is Central Oregon’s largest city situated in the foothills of the Eastern Cascade Mountain Range, with the Deschutes River running through it. It is a meca for outdoor activities. In the winter Bend’s semi-arid, high desert location, means a lite and dry powder, compared to the ski resorts further West. Mt. Bachelor draws skiers and snowboards from the West and beyond with it’s great snow, terrain and blue bird sky.

There are activities year round in the Bend area with hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, climbing, paragliding, fishing, golf, camping, and white water rafting.

On this day I decided to stay locally in Bend and checkout a recommended hike right in town along the river, the Deschutes River Trail. Not expecting that much from a urban type of hike I started out at the River Bend Park. A lovely park with expanses of perfectly groomed lawns, flowers, sculptures, nice bathrooms, just a wonderful little park to spend an afternoon at. What makes it special is the Deschutes River and the walking trail along the river. There were people strolling, children playing, dog walkers, sun worshipers, joggers, folks paddling the river in kayaks and Stand Up Paddle Boards (SUP). All very, very nice. But this blog is about hiking not parking.

  • Kayakers on the Deschutes River
  • SUP Dawg!

I crossed a foot bridge which provided a great view of the river and the park. Afterwards I was making my way along the river on the footpath on the opposite side. At the moment I made it to the sign that announced the Deschutes River Trail it was as if I had stepped into a wilderness even though I was still in a city. What a grand taste of nature for the locals and visitors alike. Because this trail capture that essence, for those that don’t have the time or inclination to go out into the backcountry and experience what it is truly like to walk along an enchanting trail, smell the ponderosa pines, hearing the rushing water, view river and sky. Of course then you are brought back to reality for there are still the condos peaking through the trees on the above cliff, but hey you aren’t actually in the wilderness you are just getting to get a taste of it for crying out loud. But there are places along this well thought out route that do a pretty good job of blocking out some of that humanity with well placed strips of trees and forest so Deschutes River Trail is definitely worth a look.

It was as if I had stepped into a wilderness even though I was still in a city.

Along this portion of the trail there is a nice educational piece regarding types of trees and fauna, Native American lore, the strange affect that animals have on trees and the funny formations they take as a result, a little history and even hydro power.

“A river is water is its loveliest form; rivers have life and sound and movement and infinity of variation, rivers are veins of the earth through which the lifeblood returns to the heart.”
-Roderick Haig-Brown
Wow, is this restful…

Thanks for joining me in this turn along the Bend, as I was ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ along the river flow. What you should do now before you forget is LIKE, COMMENT, FOLLOW, and SHARE, because there is oh so much more to do to inspire, motivate. Get off the couch, put on your hiking boots and just enjoy what God has given us.

Roger Jenkins, Pursuing Balance Through Adventure