Adventures of Chloe Rue: South Sister Mountain

It’s story time! For those who are new here, I have kept a record of Chloe’s and my adventures during our travels! I write and publish these about a year after they happen, for various reasons, but mostly per my grandma’s advice. And I don’t know about you, but you ALWAYS listen to your Grandma’s advice- they know. Here we Go! Brace yourselves, it’s time for an enticing, incredible, thrilling and heart wrenching: A Tail of Chloe Rue (I know its tale, I just can’t help it).

**edited to add: please don’t hike at high altitudes with your dog if you have not trained for it! This is an actual mountain climb to the 3rd highest mountain in the state. We went through EIGHT dog booties. Definitely be responsible, and turn around if your dog is hurting, if your oxygen remains unstable, or if your dog is showing signs of hypoxia/altitude sickness/heat stroke. Learn more about animal emergency wellness using the Redcross Animal first aid app. This is NOT a hike for those who have not trained their own bodies and their dogs for it***

Backpacking with Furiends

The last adventure story that I wrote took place in summer, 2020 which was definitely the summer for backpacking in rural places for social distancing reasons. If you missed the story, you can read about it here! In a continuation of the wonderful summer before everything in my life changed; I’d like to talk about an incredible adventure, ascending South Sister Mountain with Chloe Rue, some best friends and their dogs.

As much as I absolutely loved taking that first backpacking trip solo, and owning that goal; I have to admit I love backpacking with friends! And Chloe loves having dog-friend company! We were a group of 5, and three dogs; all excited to summit South Sister Mountain (of the three Sister mountains in the Oregon Cascades) over a three day weekend.

The definite perks of having company on the trail include:

Not having to remember EVERYTHING you need
Company at the campsite
Chloe gets to enjoy time with dog friends
Sharing food
Swapping adventure stories

The Ascent that Tried to Kill Me

South Sister Mountain is only a 12 mile trail, but the elevation is an astounding 4,898 feet, and the terrain is tough! There is a beautiful glacial lake called Moraine Lake that allows dispersed camping near its shores. The summer of 2020 was the last year that did not require a permit to backpack in the Sisters Wilderness; so we opted this as the best time to climb! Our group camped out at Morraine Lake and then began 7 miles uphill to the crest.

We began later than we intended, and the heat was not fun! I had brought dog booties for Chloe that were rubber and she felt these were perfect to stay cool, but also protect her paws! I checked my oxygen saturation using my phone before we began and I was running a solid 97; meaning I had successfully acclimated to the altitude overnight! Oxygen saturation means how much oxygen your blood is absorbing. As a Midwestern asthmatic, elevation does me no favors! Oxygen should be around or above 95; below 90 is when it is considered unstable. I kept my inhaler with me and my phone was nicely charged! I also brought my “fancy” camera (it’s not that fancy; just a Cannon powershot SX530- but it’s light which is perfect for adventuring).

Our group slowly fell into two pieces- 3 dogs and 3 humans scrabbling to keep up with the dogs; and humans hiking at a normal, solid pace falling behind the dogs. We tried to stay together; but as the ascent began we knew it was futile. Thankfully Chloe and I had been training all summer and were in great shape for hiking; having just done a 30 mile trail the weekend prior and trained extensively for it! This trail was MUCH more challenging.

I started to notice Chloe slow down around the time we reached the ridge. I checked out her shoes and would you believe it- those rubber booties had torn! Grateful to have brought extra; I replaced the torn ones and we continued.

We reached tear drop lake, which is safe to say is one of the most staggeringly beautiful places I have ever seen. The water, melted from a Glacier was pure turquoise; accented beautifully by the silver and copper volcanic rock in its surroundings. Our group staggered our way down to the perfect water and relaxed; drinking (with filters) eating some energizing food and knowing that the last bit of this climb would be the worst. My oxygen had dropped to 87; and despite the best breathing exercises known to therapists; it would not budge! I took my inhaler and successfully bumped up above 90 before we continued the ascent.

We were ridden with sweat; the three dogs were staying right with us breathing just as hard as we were and we were climbing; where “two steps forward, one step back” actually was quite apparently literal due to the shale rock sliding under our feet. There is a specific moment I remember, when my vision began to tunnel and I sat down on a rock to catch my breath. Chloe sat right next to be, very concerned and when I looked my oxygen saturation had dropped even further! A solid 85; and it was time to rest for the girl with asthma! I took my inhaler again; and recovered, and the ascent continued.

I will never forget that feeling, as we crested the volcano’s edge and came to the false summit! The basin was FULL of bright vivid white snow that reflected off the sun in staggering ways! We dropped all of our bags and immediately laid down in the snow; dogs all resting in the snow to cool off by our sides.

Naturally one of my friends brought champagne for the summit of the mountain to celebrate his wife’s birthday! If you’ve never popped a champagne bottle at ten thousand feet; it’s time to try it!! It exploded EVERYWHERE and was incredibly fun to experience!

The Time my Cellphone Dramatically Jumped off a Mountain

I only fell six times on the trip back to the bottom of South Sister mountain. If you’re an avid hiker; you may understand how your body wants to look up at the view and absorb the sheer beauty, but your feet don’t seem to understand how to descend shale rock without strict visual instruction. This distraction usually results in slipping onto the backside and the Chloe Dog wondering what on earth I could possibly be doing. She successfully ripped all 8 of her rubber shoes, and I learned an important lesson about dog booties: quality matters.

There was a particular moment in the descent; where snow remained in a perfect downhill pattern that no person from the midwest could pass up for sledding. I mean; is there anything more fun than sledding down a mountain? I might have been a tiny bit hypoxic during this decision; but I sauntered my way over to the snowy crest and with a running start flopped down on my butt sliding down the mountain. Chloe was having a BLAST running beside me and pushing me along! We made it down the perfect snowy slope back toward the main trail, and I saw it- a small black triangle, shiney and bright; continuing it’s merry descent down the slope toward the cliff edge. Chloe and I stared with horror, as my phone- my cellular, telephone; my camera, my map, my method of communication with social media, family, my navigation back home: my main mode of all things- leaped, smiled, almost winked as it fell from the cliff face off the edge of the mountain.

Let’s add that to the perks of backpacking with other people: their cellphones didn’t jump off of South Sister.

10/10 Would do it Again

If you ever have the chance to climb a mountain with your friends: DO. IT. Don’t hold back for a single second. Maybe bring high quality dog booties, a bottle of champagne, and a sled; but even if you do none of those things: Don’t let anything stop you from chasing your mountain dreams. Not even a rebellious cell phone.

South Sister was an experience I will never forget. Now when I see the beautiful trio of mountains in the horizon I look at the southern sister and know that I experienced the world from the peak of that mountain. Let me tell you all: it’s not an experience I’ll ever forget.

Thanks so much for reading! If you’re wondering about the lack of photos and selfies- we’ll guess who lost all her photos off a cliff face 😆 Thank God I had the fancy camera!! What’s been your favorite mountain to climb? How about your most challenging hike? Are there any other asthmatics reading who can empathize with the hypoxic issues I’ve had? In the mean time, enjoy every moment of this doggone summer!! Happy Tails and happy trails to you all ♡♡

Barking Embarkers