The Husband

Overview

The patriarch of the Cascades family, The Husband rises to 7524 feet and is set just west of his three ( one, two, three) bulky daughters. Just to the southeast and within yelling distance is his Wife while his only son is tucked up safe to the north. His best friend, the Bachelor, oops, I mean the bachelor, oops, dangit I mean Bachelor is on the other side of The Wife to the southeast (she likes to stay in between the bad influence). Hardly anyone seems to climb The Husband and there is no trail to the top. The summit requires a bit over a mile of cross country travel and some short Class 3/4 rock climbing but it is doable in a long day. This one would seem to be the most mysterious and remote of the "family."

The Husband is extensively eroded similar to North Sister and Three Fingered Jack and of about the same "quality" of rock (read: graham crackers held together by static electricity). Three ridges meet at the plug of basaltic andesite from the late Pleistocene Age.

The shortest and apparently easiest route would be to access it from the Foley Ridge Trail to the south ridge to the only chink in the armour of vertical rock on the east side of the ridge near the summit. Of course there is a lot of sandy scree to "slide up" to that point. (What !? You thought this was going to be less than a quality deal?) Views range from Jefferson in the north to Diamond Peak in the south. And oh yes, exceptional views of the west sides of those Sisters. You will be lucky to see anyone on this mountain at all, there is very little sign that people visit the summit, which is covered in flying ants (at least in August) who nest somewhere close. The mostly vertical ridges are amazing to view and if the rock was of any quality, surely there would be a plethora of technical routes. Sadly, this is not the case but the upside is you will never have any of the monster crowds on this peak that the Big Sister gets.

Getting There

This can really be accessed from three trailheads. You could get to it by networking the various trails from the Obsidian Trail to the north before going cross country to The Husband from the east, or from the south you could take the Pacific Crest trail but both of these would involve about a 20 mile day. Why do that? The shortest route would be to access it from the Foley Ridge Trail which lies to the west of this peak.

From Portland, take I-5 south to Highway 22 in Salem. Take Hwy 22 east to the junction with Hwy 20/126. Turn right at the junction and take Hwy 20 to the split with 126. Take 126 to the left to Road 2643 which is just a couple miles or so past the turn off for Road 242. (Road 2643 is also just past the road for the Mackenzie Bridge State Airport.)

Turn left onto Road 2643 and follow it 1.7 miles to a junction. Split left here at the sign that says "Foley Ridge Trail 9". (The other road that splits right is Rd 410)

Follow Road 2643 4.3 more miles staying on the main road and avoiding various subroads splitting off to a junction at a sign that says "Rainbow Falls Trailhead Trail #3543." Take the left split again (Road 460 goes to the right).

Go 1.3 miles and split right at the sign for Road 2643 Foley Ridge Trail.

Go another .5 miles to a sign that says "Foley Ridge Trail" to the left. Go left here avoiding Rd 480 which branches off right.

Go 1.1 miles to a split that says "Foley Ridge Trail 2" to the left. Take this left, avoiding Rd 485 to the right. Take this road 1.8 more miles to the trailhead at the end of the road.

Red Tape

No fees are required at this point in time but you are required to fill out and carry with you a Wilderness Permit which are free and self-issued at the trailhead.

When To Climb

Road access is going to be the deciding factor here. The trailhead is at about 4380 feet so it will be snow-covered into May/June. July to October would be the best time to climb The Husband. Plan for snowshoes earlier than that.

Camping

There is ample camping in the area. Various small lakes provide water along the trail.

Mountain Conditions

Weather Underground Link for Sisters, OR

McKenzie River Ranger District
57600 McKenzie Hwy
McKenzie Bridge, OR 97413
541-822-3381
fax 541-822-7254
Summer Hours 7 days Memorial Day - Columbus Day
Reg Hours: 8 - 4:30 Mon-Fri

Images

View The Husband Image Gallery - 24 Images