Backpackers' Pajama Party 2023: Backpack Oregon's Elkhorn Crest and Broken Top

We're excited to bring you another set of amazing backpacking routes in Oregon for our fourth Pajama Party event on February 10th from 7 to 8:30PM, hosted by Melody George.  She will present details from two trips, the Elkhorn Crest Trail in the Blue Mountains, and Broken Top in the Three Sisters Wilderness.

The Elkhorn Crest Trail in Northeastern Oregon is a National Recreation Trail in the Blue Mountains that runs along the Elkhorn Mountain ridgeline. You start high and stay high and enjoy panoramic views. Even though this trail is around 8000 feet it is usually accessible in early summer due to the exposure. Elkhorn Crest is part of Section 5 of Oregon's newest long-distance trail route, Blue Mountains Trail.

Broken Top is a peak in the Three Sisters Wilderness near South Sister which can be hiked as a circumnavigation. The most scenic piece of this hike is to No Name Lake where you can see a cutaway volcano view with layers of red, yellow, and black. Glaciers and eruptions destroyed the cone and sent 8-foot lava rocks across Central Oregon. This spectacular trip combines glacier views, lake swimming, and high meadows!

Melody George has been part of the Mountaineers since 2017. She discovered backpacking in 1997 while living and working in Olympic National Park. In 2005 she had the opportunity to hike the Wonderland Trail. She enjoys trip planning and leads trips for both the Olympia and Foothill branches. She lives in Portland and is an avid Hiker and Backpacker. Her favorite places are mostly in Washington including Olympic National Park and North Cascades National Park. In 2022 she discovered more of the amazement of Central Oregon! As a social worker, she is passionate about social justice as well as diversity/ inclusion in the outdoors and the sacredness of trees and mountains.

Beginning two days before the event we will email the instructions and link to join via zoom.  You must get a ticket below to receive the zoom details to log in.

You can get a ticket for free, but if you have appreciated all of our efforts to keep your outdoor dreams alive during the Covid-19 pandemic and on into the future, we'd love it if you'd offer even a small gift to help our hiking and backpacking programs and our amazing volunteer leaders thrive and grow!   Get your ticket at the link below, and if you're willing to contribute you can purchase a $10 or $20 ticket or choose the free option. We look forward to seeing you there!