8/16  Tour des Lacs

My sister Celine joined me for the last stretch of trail. The last week with her was a great chance to really relax and take in everything without  the pressure of a steady mileage. We decided to jump ahead 39 miles so as to get in more lakes and avoid a long climb at the start. This was  the lake tour. Every night we found the perfect swimming hole, even if it meant an hour off trail looking for it.

8/17  Bull Lake

This lake is not far off trail, but it feels remote and is so quiet. It was a wonderful site.

8/18  Grouse Lake

We trekked cross country for about a half hour to reach this one. It wasn’t the easiest path and required some climbing to a high viewpoint in order to spot its location. We both camped without tents and the stars were out in full force.

8/19  Mosquito Lake

Well, we had a hard day of hiking and Celine and I were ready to settle near some water. Unfortunately this one required an extra half hour of climbing to reach it. When we got there, there was a permanent summer camp built up near the lake, which we discovered was on private property. There were families everywhere. Lots of Portland people, including a little 8 year old girl who sang for us a cover of “We will rock you” renamed  “We will lick you” ("Nutella on your face. Such a disgrace!...." It got better.) The lake was shallow and muddy. Not muddy enough to stop Celine from taking her morning swim. I settled for a little wading.

8/20  Fox Creek Lake

The guide book said that there was a trail that descends from a the trail down to this lake, which sits in a forested valley. Well, instead of a trail, we found ourselves bushwacking and using our map and compass skills to find it. The  ¾ mile hike took an hour. (A trail mile is usually about 25 minutes). Nevertheless, or rather, consequently, it was another beautiful spot – remote, clean, warm, with a spring and a well designed horse camp. Unfortunately, the climb out was no easier than the drop in, and we took 90 minutes finding our way back up to the trail, 300 feet above us.

8/21  Siphon Lake

Food is getting scarce. We had to resort to the dried hummus for lunch – possible the grainiest, driest, least tasty dehydrated food out there. We climbed a lot and ended at Siphon – a boulder strewn bowl with little grass and very clean water. It got its name in the 1800s, when gold miners would siphon the water down into the valley below and use it to spray hillsides clear and look for gold in the material that eroded off. (Don’t worry, it’s illegal now.)

8/23  Paynes Lake   

What an unfortunate name. I had that “Pain” song ringing in my ears all day. The guide book said this lake was deficient in campsites and recommended moving on. Celine and I agreed that the author probably never finished this last bit of trail, because this was one of the best camping areas on trail. There were several groups there already. The water was warm and deep and caught the sunlight just right in the afternoon. It was a perfect end to our trip.

8/24  Etna Summit

We finished up with a 6 mile hike to the highway, where we were picked up by a great guy named Terry from  Yreka. He and his family ended up driving us all the way back to Celine’s car (40 miles away). We were so relieved to have his help. The alternative was a hitchhike to a bus ride to a 13 mile uphill climb back to our car!

Postlude

So what’s the big revelation from this trip? What’s the life-changing lesson? Well, it’s not as profound as it was last time, but that’s ok. Not all life changes are dramatic and obvious. One thing I became aware of is the value of meditation and prayer. I had plenty of time for this, so I developed a regimen of daily prayer. The result was an ever increasing sense of peace. Not a sudden shift, but a slowly evolving peace within. That’s something I’d like to take back home with me.

"I’m thankful for the silence, the simplicity of these last 4 ½ weeks, the chance to be whole, to be unfettered by unnecessary things. The chance to put away jealousy, fear, temptation, boredom, frenzy, lust. I know I have to return to the world, and I want to do so, but I want my world to include the best of this world – self confidence, peace, prayerfulness, silence, simplicity."

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