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Middle Sister, North Ridge via Hayden Glacier
Technical Information
- Mountain: Middle Sister
- Elevation: 10,046ft
- Route: North Ridge via Hayden glacier
- Grade: I, 3rd Mod Snow
- Length: 5,000ft
THE MIDDLE SIBLING
As in life, so too is Middle Sister the forgotten sibling. I’ve heard plenty about South Sister and seen tons of sketchy North Sister posts on climbing forums, but hardly anything from the mountain in between. I think it deserves more credit, especially for new mountaineers. Its a relatively easy climb that offers a short glacier crossing and some 3rd class scrambling near the summit. The long approach solitude also adds a nice feeling of remoteness. I think its the best next step for anyone who’s got a few hikable peaks under their belt.
Heads up, this is a retro report, so I’ll make it quick!
ATTEMPT #1
After getting a grand view of her from the summit of South Sister, Trent and I became increasingly interested climbing Middle Sister. We did some digging, and found the North Ridge route to be a good next step in our mountaineering progression. Online trip reports described the route as a long hike with a short 3rd class scramble at the end, but what really caught our attention was the option to cross Hayden Glacier on our way to the ridge. Trent and I both had limited glacier experience, so we were STOKED.
The attempt, over September 12 & 13th, 2024, ended with us bailing 400ft below the summit. A solid sheet of verglas made the final scramble too sketchy. Turning back can be a tough decision, but being able to bail and come back another day is a very important skill that I look for in anyone I climb with. On the bright side, we summited Prouty Point!
SOLO!
Having to bail stoked the fire big time. I was catching myself checking weather forecasts multiple times an hour in the days following me and Trents attempt. This obsessive research ended up paying off, as I found a sliver of perfect weather later the same month on September 29th, 2024. Trent was busy, but after completing 99% of the route already, I was confident enough to solo.
The drive from OSU/Corvallis is a LONG haul, but I was seriously determined. I had a single day to work with, so my first solo would also be a C2C. I rolled in to the Pole Creek Trailhead staging area at 6pm and car camped in my little Subaru. Definitely not the most comfortable car for a snooze… but does the trick!
THE APPROACH
The solo night hike was an interesting one! Every so often, I’d spook a sleeping bird perched in the manzanita, and it would launch out in a random direction. This was incredibly startling to say the least.. One flew right into my face… Also, I saw some weird lights in the forest that I thought were headlamps. They weren’t. I don’t know what they were, maybe animal eyes? Im not superstitious, but I was definitely feeling on edge. Playing music out loud on my phone did the trick though, and I powered on.
NO MORE VERGLAS, PHEW…
I finished the approach and took the direct route to the ridge across Hayden Glacier. Solo glacier travel is never a good idea, but late season conditions allowed me to safely navigate the glacier, dodging the now obvious crevasses. When the sun hit the mountain, I was relieved to see that all the verglas had melted away. WOOOO!!!!
THE NORTH RIDGE
The ridge was in great shape. Class 1-2 all the way up to the final section of low class 3. Such a fun ridge climb with thousand of feet of exposure on climbers left and views of the Renfrew and Collier Glaciers on climbers right. The windless day made for a stress free summit.
SUMMIT
Seeing the Cascades all lined up is pretty special. In the picture above, along with North Sister, you can see Mount Washington, Three Fingered Jack, Mount Jefferson, and Mount Hood.
I had a nice long lunch on the summit and spotted a pretty decent campsite. What a beautiful morning that would be. After wishing I had the time and gear with me for a summit bivy, I started the decent.
Two sisters down, one to go!
BETA
This route can be shorter or longer depending on how you access the North Ridge. Crossing Hayden Glacier is much more direct, but should only be considered by parties with glacier travel skills. If crossing Hayden, follow the obvious high line that heads directly towards Prouty Point on the north side of the glacier, then move to gain the ridge. To skip the glacier crossing, head northwest towards the saddle between Prouty and North Sister. From here, you can wrap around behind Prouty on the Collier Glacier. Make sure to hug the rocks and you won’t run into any crevasses. Rockfall is common off of Prouty and North Sister, keep an eye out.
- Gear: Crampons, Ice axe, rope, crevasse kit
