Waldo Lake is one of the many lakes in the western slopes of the Oregon Cascades. Unfortunately, a fire devastated the area in 1996 and it is still recovering, but the new growth includes an abundance of wildflowers including big bushels of bear grass. I heard that on a sunny day the water is clear as glass and the middle of the lake is deep indigo in color. Unfortunately, during our visit we didn’t have much sun and the lake was pretty choppy.
Recovering Waldo Lake reminded me of 2007 Brittney Spears – you know she was once fun and beautiful, but images of patchy bald Brittney still haunt me. The good news is that, like bald Brittney, you’re rooting for her return to glory and you know she can do it. Go Brittney, go!
Given the less than ideal conditions, there were still good takeaways from Waldo Lake:
- No matter what you’re dealing with, surrounding yourself with people you love makes everything better.
Doug’s daughter, Kellen, joined us for 2 nights while in Waldo. Her home-cooked meals, life-saving coffee press (when our coffee maker died), willingness to paddle the cold lake with Doug, and her sunny disposition made Waldo a very special visit!
- Guilt sucks.
The first night we were at there, it was rainy and cold, such a contrast to the bright sunshine and heat wave we’d come from in Central Point, OR. We felt sorry for the tent campers especially when some of them turned on their cars late in the evening for some heat, but that didn’t stop us from using our propane heat in the RV, curling up under warm comforters and watching the season 1 finale of the Handmaid’s Tale thanks to Netflix! I actually loved that night, despite the guilt I felt.
- Hard work eventually pays off.
To hike to two nearby lakes (Whig and Torry), Kellen crushed it with her 4-wheel driving but it was a painstaking task just to get to the trailhead. You can see from the photo below that it looked like her car was discarded here by an alien beam drop. Once at the trailhead, we picked our way through burnt forest, but a good variety of new growth, until we lost the trail completely. As we continued to hike in the general direction of where we thought the lake was, the struggles of the journey disappeared as the glistening lake came into view.
- Just when you think you know someone, you learn something new.
I’m taking liberties with “someone” as this is really about our dog, Bailey. Our first hike from the north Waldo Lake campground past the boat ramp, was filled with moss filled trees, a damp trail, and a wetness to the air that can permeate the cascades, but Bailey bounded along happy to be off leash. On the way back, Doug cut to the right of the main trail on a side trail that ended at the lake’s edge. Bailey, who hates water, followed and as Doug composed his photo, without hesitation she bopped merrily forward, directly into the lake…much to our surprise and hers! What was that about? Don’t know. Maybe she likes water more than I thought or maybe she’s not the genius I know and love.
- Your experience is always uniquely yours, no matter who you experience it with.
Doug loved Waldo lake.
He appreciated the contrast of the stark trees and small greenery growing in around them, the moisture in the air, and the changes in the weather that gave the lake a different look and feel at different points throughout each day.
Bailey enjoyed the cool weather hike and abundance of chipmunks.
I struggled to appreciate it in the same way. I had trouble getting past the burnt, blown down trees and the cold.
We left the morning the sun arrived and it was only then, that I caught a glimpse of the beauty that I think Doug saw all along. That’s when I realized that although we’re at the same locations every day, our perception of what we experience can be really different. It’s important to appreciate that, if nothing else.
Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.
Wayne W. Dyer from his book “The Power of Intention: Change The Way You Look At Things And The Things You Look At Will Change”
Maybe Waldo Lake deserves another look afterall.
