floating in a lake while gazing at a glacier

Hello everyone!

I had a really wonderful weekend of camping way up on the northwestern side of Mt Adams. Gina & I left on Friday morning and drove to Trout Lake. We hadn't been there in a month so we wanted to stop by. They were busy preparing for a wedding that was being held at the Inn the next day so we chatted for just a bit before continuing on to our campground. From Trout Lake it was about 45 minutes on forest service roads up to Takhlakh Lake (pronounced tock-lock). We had a lakeside campsite which is more private that some of the nearby sites. We were at 4500 feet elevation which I think is the highest I'd ever camped.

Gina & I split a sandwich and set up our tents and everything we needed. Gina was really tired so she laid down for a nap. I walked around the lake to the northern end which has a spectacular view of Mt Adams. The mountain is looming over the end of the lake with a huge glacier spilling off the summit. It was an incredible sight. There were huckleberry bushes everywhere so I snacked my way along the trail. It's quiet on the lake because gas motors are prohibited. I read my book in the sun and watched some fishermen pulling out trout from the lake. I finally woke Gina up as the sun was beginning to set and had turned the mountain all pink. Ahhhh the alpenglow!

Gina started a fire and I prepared dinner which we cooked on the fire in foil packets. Camille arrived after nightfall (she had to work on Friday). The three of us ate our yummy dinner and talked around the campfire. Camille and I walked down to the lake shore to watch for meteors. The Perseids were going strong this weekend. We saw some but it was insanely windy so we couldn't stand on the lake shore long before we were cold. It was great to see the Milky Way over the lake though. Gina & I shared my giant tent while Camille got the small tent all to herself.

In the morning I got up and made coffee and starting cooking breakfast. Mmmmm bacon in the woods! We all ate and packed up lunches and were just a few minutes away from leaving for a hike when Elaine and Dave (who were in Trout Lake for the wedding at the Inn)and a bunch of other friends from Trout Lake pulled up. We walked around the lake a little bit and then decided to go swimming. We left from the boat launch and headed toward the side of the lake where our campsite was. Some of swam and some us floated over on mats. It was really fun and the water felt great. It was really wonderful to lay in the water and look up at Mt Adams so huge at the end of the lake. I was a happy girl! We all hung out at the campsite for a while drinking some beers and lounging in the sun. A bunch of people left to get ready for the wedding and some other friends showed up. A few of us went swimming again but a stiff breeze and the sun behind a cloud made us quickly head for dry land. All in all we had 12 visitors at our campsite! I'd never been so social while camping before and it was especially funny since we were in the middle of nowhere (but only 45 minutes from Trout Lake). We took a nap for a little bit and then got up and walked around the lake a little bit and gazed at the mountain. I watched the sunset until the mountain was no longer bright and colorful.

Tom, our last guest, left right as it was getting dark and we were preparing our dinner. We had great steak burritos and later made smores. I walked down to the lake shore by myself and sat on a log looking for shooting stars. I saw some good ones that streaked across the whole sky. The best part was that the lake was so still that the twinkling stars were reflected in the water so it looked like there were stars at the bottom of the lake. I could also see the huge gray outline of the mountain in the night sky.

Sunday we woke up and had coffee and breakfast before packing everything up. We drove a few miles up to Olallie Lake just to check it out and then from there drove to Chain of Lakes where we hiked the High Lakes Trail for a little bit. The trail was shared with hikers, horses and motorcycles so the trail was very loose and sandy. It started by descending very steeply for some time down to a massive lava flow where the forest was overrun by huge rocks. We then crossed a stream of milky glacial runoff where we decided to eat our lunch on the bridge. After lunch we trudged our way back up. It was hot and so dusty and as I mentioned the trail was very sandy which was difficult for climbing up hill. I encouraged myself to keep going by just eating huckleberries that lined the trail. By the end of the hike I had purple lips and a purple tongue and a belly full of berries. We took off our shoes and waded in the lake a little to wash off the dust before starting the drive home.

We drove back to Trout Lake where we went to the swimming hole by the Inn for a quick and wonderfully refreshing dip in the water. After our hot and dusty hike it felt great to jump in the water. We drove back to Portland and unloaded all our stuff. I showered and then went to Elaine & Gina's to get my pictures on the computer. I cooked up some squash from my garden and Elaine made me great Caesar salad. We then played cards until it was time for me to go home.

I had such a wonderful weekend! I feel spoiled rotten by these beautiful places that I go. I love it!

Please let me know how you are and what you've been up to!

xoxo,
carolyn