{summer of fun} south sister

Happy Labor Day friends! I hope you're all having a great long weekend and enjoying some time off!

I thought it was only appropriate, seeing how labor day is the *end* of summer (we won't talk about the forcasted 97 degrees later this week),  to wrap up my {summer of fun} series by sharing what we did over the long weekend. 

We hiked up South Sister, one of a trio of *Sister* mountains in central Oregon. South Sister is the third tallest peak in Oregon, at 10,358 feet. Somehow, it's a non-technical climb, but it's still a butt-kicker: you gain 4,900 feet in elevation in 5.5 miles.

The top is actually the top of that red hill. Waaaayyyyy up there. It's a 2,900 feet elevation gain between the lake in the bottom right of the photo, and the top. And, only about 1/4-mile in distance.

You're probably wondering why? HA! I don't even remember exactly how this started. Last summer, a friend of mine at work was arranging a trip, and I thought *why not?*. We headed over in late September to tackle the mountain. About half way up, a thunderstorm moved into the area, forcing us to turn around. It was so sad,  but of course by then we were all completely determined to summit. So a group of us headed over this weekend and we made it all the way up.

This is the view from the lake (last photo). We actually hiked over all the brown terrain to get to where we were.

And, the view from the top! It was an amazing feeling to make it all the way. You feel so small when standing on top of a mountain, and it's actually quite humbling. It's also completely exhausting. I'm still recovering a little :).

It was a great way to end the summer though. On the hike up the hill, I was thinking about this declared summer of fun. Giving myself permission to lay off on house activities allowed me to have so many amazing adventures this summer.

• I spent a day in gorgeous Hood River. 
• I visited a great friend in eastern Washington. Complete with a great day of wine tasting :).
• We took some friends to the beach with us for the 4th, and went on an awesome hike.
• Yes, it was for work, but I spend an amazing week rafting the Rogue River.
• I went on a glorious hike in the Columbia River Gorge, to train for South Sister.
• And, we spent a lovely weekend celebrating our birthdays in Astoria.

Pretty great summer, right? We've even snuck a few house projects in their too, which we're wrapping up now, and I'm itching to start sharing with you! 

What are you guys up to this long weekend?