soaking it up in Trout Lake

Hello everyone! I had a wonderful weekend in Trout Lake on Mt Adams. I drove there immediately from work Friday afternoon. It was cool and cloudy in Portland but about 40 minutes east the clouds broke and the sun was shining strong. I arrived at Wampler’s house right around 6. I laid in his front yard as the sun went behind the fir trees. The cottonwood trees are really going nuts up and they snowed their fuzzy white seeds upon me. I walked around Wampler’s garden and greenhouse with him then cut some fresh greens for a salad for dinner. Wampler started grilling stuff while I ran around Trout Lake in search of an air pump to blow up my air mattress. I had pitched my tent in Wampler’s backyard but realized I’d forgotten the pump in Portland. At the Inn I found Jason who was to eat dinner with us. He was talking with his friend Tom who just happened to have an air pump in his trunk as part of his windsurfing gear. Tom is Welsh but lives in Australia and used to live in Trout Lake several years ago. Yeah for sleeping on a cushion of air!

I headed back over to Wampler’s where Hope helped me blow up my mattress and then dinner was served. Jason and Tom arrived from the Inn and we all ate some dinner. We hung out and talked for a while before heading over to the Inn to see some music. Our friend Lincoln was up for the weekend and was playing solo on Friday night. He’s an incredible musician but his performance that night was the most amazing I’ve ever seen from him. He played both the mandolin and the guitar and sang like an angel. I felt sorry for the rest of the world that wasn’t there.

At one point I walked out to the field behind the Inn. The almost-full moon was illuminating snowy Mt Adams. I stood in the grass and looked at the mountain in the moonlight amongst a chorus of crickets, frogs, owls and coyotes along with the sound of the stream running nearby. It was much too much and I felt so lucky to witness such beauty. After Lincoln finished playing on stage a few of us went in the backyard where we sat around the fire and listened to Jimmy and Lincoln play some music. It was a really wonderful night. I was so happy to be in Trout Lake.

Back at Wampler’s house I crawled into my tent. I slept really well and I’m always happy to wake up in my tent. I got up and did our dinner dishes and made some coffee then showered. Lincoln came over and whipped up a yummy breakfast using odds and ends from Wamp’s fridge. We sat in the sunny backyard and ate our breakfast. Wampler watered his garden and Lincoln and I talked and read. Lincoln showed us a game called Schmirltz! that involves a ball (preferably a baseball) in a long sock. The rules were fuzzy and google needs to be consulted but it was funny nonetheless. It rained for just a few minutes then the sun returned. The three of us stood in the backyard and watched the neighbors’ cows. We decided that cow watching is infinitely better than tv. Lincoln and I made our way over to the Inn where we ordered burgers and ate them on the porch while Mt Adams loomed behind us. Lincoln plays in a fantastic bluegrass band called Cross-Eyed Rosie. His bandmates had begun arriving and he went on a little bike ride with a few of them.

I gave Jimmy, my friend who runs the Inn, a haircut on the front porch. He hadn’t cut his hair since I had cut it in December! Lincoln’s girlfriend, Alicia arrived and we all talked. Alicia is pregnant and due with their baby in December so we were all excited to talk about the baby and how she’s doing. When Lincoln returned from his bike ride the three of us went back to Wampler’s house. Dave, Elaine and Gina had all arrived and were hanging out in the backyard. The sauna was fired up so some of us went in. When we’d get too hot we’d run outside and jump in the big dunk tank full of cold cold water before running back into the hot hot heat. It had been awhile since I’d been in the sauna and it felt oh so good.

I wanted to catch the sun set before heading to the Inn so I drove to Trout Lake (the actual body of water) and took a bunch of photos of the mountain reflected in the water and light on the mountain. How spectacular!

Back at the Inn Dave was setting up on stage. He was so excited to be opening up for Cross-Eyed Rosie. His band played 7 songs, nailed them all and got off stage for Cross-Eyed Rosie to play. They have an amazing singer, a fiddler, a stand-up bass, guitar and Lincoln on mandolin. Lincoln and the fiddler also have great singing voices so it’s a pretty impressive show. They are so solid and play really great songs. The show was being webcast live on the internet which I found amusing since I can’t even get cell service up there. The wonders of technology! They played two sets and the crowd absolutely loved them. I definitely hope they’ll be going back up to the Inn to play some more shows. After the music was done Gina and I went back to Wampler’s house and went to bed.

Sunday morning was another beautiful day. I woke up and made some coffee and Elaine and Gina headed back to Portland right away. I went to a local restaurant for breakfast with Dave. Huckleberry pancakes! Yummmm! Dave headed back to Portland after we ate and I returned to Wampler’s sunny backyard. I sat in his great adirondack chair in the sun and listened to music on my headphones (Van Morrison, Sufjan Stevens and Neko Case). The cottonwoods covered me in fuzzy snow and I soaked up the sun and was so happy. I eventually made my way down to the Inn where I sat on the back deck and gazed at Sleeping Beauty past the field full of daisies. Lincoln and Alicia came down and made themselves some breakfast and we sat around talking with Joseph who lives just up the road. I called Jason and then drove out to his cabin. Joseph came by as he was going to do some frisbee golfing and the course is right by Jason’s place. I walked out to the course with him to take some photos of the daisy meadows which were in their full glory. Jim, who owns the property around there came driving up across the field in a Subaru with it’s top chopped off, windshield and all. He stopped and offered us some cold beverages from his cooler. I took a beer and marveled at the wonderful strangeness of this place. Joseph threw his disc and I took pictures of flowers and enjoyed my beer before going back to Jason’s cabin. We hung out for a bit before hitting the road. I went back to Wampler’s and packed up my stuff while the boys got some food.

They picked me up and we drove out to the Cheese Cave for some exploring. We all added a few more layers of clothing (you could feel the cold air pouring out of the huge hole in the ground) and put on headlamps before climbing down the ladder. It was definitely the biggest cave I’ve ever been in though I hear Ape Cave near Mt St Helens is bigger. We walked around and shined our lights high up on the ceiling. The ground was fairly level but the lava rock really tears your shoes apart. A few areas had rockfall that we had to scramble over but mostly it was a huge open cavern. Suddenly we came to an a bunch of collapsed shelves and old boards. It was remnants from when the cave was used to store cheese. The constant cold temperatures are ideal for food storage. Nearby caves include the Meat Cave and the Potato Cave. The whole area is riddled with lava tubes and many caves (at least 40 with 10 miles of Trout Lake). We also came across a huge metal staircase. Jason climbed it but the door at the top was locked. Later when we were driving away they pointed out a big old A-frame house in the woods called the Cheese House. The staircase leads into the house and is from when the cave was used to store cheese. We walked in the cave until the end where it abruptly stops. A few times we would all turn off our lights and stand in the absolute darkness listening to the drip drip drip all around us. It was pretty amazing. When we climbed back up the ladder it took a while for my eyes to adjust to the bright light and I was amazed by the rapid temperature change. We sat on the warm forest floor and I told Jason I want to explore a new cave each time I come to Trout Lake. Given the number of nearby caves that shouldn’t be too difficult.

I got my car from Wampler’s and said goodbye and thanked him for all his hospitality. I then went to the Inn where I ordered ate a burger and chatted with Andrea and Alicia and Lincoln before hitting the road back home. It’s a beautiful hour and half drive back to Portland with views of Mt Hood and then the always lovely Columbia River Gorge. I was home around 8 though still wishing I was in Trout Lake getting ready for another day of slow Trout Lake life amongst so much beauty and so many good friends. I can’t wait to go back…

So please let me know how you are and what you’ve been up to!

Xoxo,
carolyn