On Sunday morning, September 26th, two informal CONC groups left from Three Creeks Lake to hike the trail up to Tam McArthur Rim’s steep cliffs. The head-start or faster group was led by Larry Weinberg (that is, Larry filled out the USFS permit), while Linda Frost lead the larger, second group. The sky was clear, air quality good, and temperatures perfect for hiking. Both groups followed the well-maintained trail through lava, basalt, and ghost trees up to the panoramic views of the Cascades mountains and lakes.
Once at the rim, the second group relaxed, marveled at the volcanic landscape and ate lunch, and then returned, completing a rewarding hike of about 6.5 miles in length with 1200 feet of elevation gain. “There are many, many geological examples—more than in my college class!” said a hiker new to the Nordic Club.
After admiring the sheer drop of over 1000 feet from the rim’s edge at the viewpoint, the first group then continued towards the red cinder cone for another 2.2 miles beyond the lookout spot. The five slogged up the cindery path to the top of the cone and pressed onwards along a windy ridge towards Broken Hand. Everyone put on all their layers and sheltered from the wind to eat lunch, admire the views, and check the altitude on their assortment of electronic devices – consensus, 8200’ – at the base of Broken Hand before hiking back to complete an exhilarating day.
Many thanks to all organizers and participants, and in particular to Marty Rose for many of the photos.
