CLEAR LAKE REFLECTIONS

Our morning sun had not shown its face over the horizon as I started off to take my morning hike on the Clear Lake trail. Clear Lake is an icy cold spring lake that becomes the headwaters of the McKenzie River in the Cascade Range of Oregon.  

About 3,000 years ago, give or take a day or two, Sand Mountain erupted. The resulting lava flowed toward a cold river right where it "sprung" out of the earth. While sliding toward the ice cold river the molten hot lava burned forests growing in its path. Upon hot lava reaching the icy water it stopped thereby causing a wall of lava that back-filled the river to create a lake. It happened so fast that the existing forest still stands beneath the cold lake preserved in the icy waters we now call Clear Lake.

Much of the trail surrounding Clear Lake crosses these ancient lava flows. Vine Maple and numerous other plants dot the lava bed with an occasional old growth fir thrown in. Interspersed with the lava between flows the Douglas Fir lives to create dense old growth forests making for a varied path. 

All along the trail views of the lake avail themselves making for very slow going. I don't know about you, but I cannot walk and "gawk off" at the same time without toxic results. While my book “Tripping On a Shoestring” is not about ‘tripping’ I have been known to take a few disastrous spills. So it's walk a few steps, stop and gawk off, take a few more steps, ooh photo op, snap, snap, few more steps...well you get the idea. Since it's such slow going, I only made it half way and back in two hours. But the side I walked on gave me the best photo light for pix of the lake. I hiked on the east edge with the rising sun striking the west side highlighting the reflective beauty of tall pines perfectly reproduced in the calm waters of the lake. The brilliant blue sky reflected with a bit of white puffs here and there for the back-drop.

It’s an easy trail, each step filled with eye-popping sites. Shallow coves hold turquoise water reflecting lime blades of water-loving grasses. Why would any of us want to miss out on this? Please take a day or two to pause and “reflect” in the icy water of Clear Lake. It will give you one more treasure for your Memory Treasure Chest. Here in Oregon, you can "get rich quick" by just stopping to reflect.