Some years ago I saw and downloaded a picture of Pamelia Lake. The picture was not especially noteworthy. It wasn’t a great composition or a great scene. It was just a point and shoot snapshot. But what I loved is that it is a picture of an Oregon forest, and that’s enough for me. I look at it often.
I didn’t even know why Pamelia Lake is an impacted area. I didn’t know what sets it apart from other lakes which aren’t as heavily visited. My whole reason for wanting to visit is because of that picture. I could look at it and imagine being in a generic Pacific Northwest forest with no particular destination.
Since the federal shutdown is finally over I was able to go online and buy a permit when I got back to my hotel yesterday afternoon.
I’m sorry to say that I the picture I’ve been talking about was not representative of what I experienced today. I thought the trail was exceptional. I suspect that for most people the trail is just where you have to travel to get to the lake. For me the lake was just an afterthought. For one thing I finally saw some decent fall vine maple near the beginning. But it was what came later that I loved. I was hiking and thinking that the trail reminded me of the Ramona Falls hike. Then I realized why. The normal forest understory I’m used to is full of ferns, Oregon grape, salal, etc. What I was seeing here was lots of moss and rhododendrons, which is what I love about Ramona Falls. However, during this hike the creek is much more energetic. The creek is off to the side of the trail and accessible with short bushwhacks. Even the damage from the 2006 mudflow was less than I expected.
The forest changes a little upon reaching the lake, and again after passing the inlet. That area was extremely wet. I couldn’t walk a minute without encountering several creeklets crossing the trail. The floor below the trail is pretty flat and the water braids all through the area. I hadn’t planned to continue the hike to Hunts Cove, but I was sorely tempted to continue past my turn around point. I made a miscalculation based on how long it took me to drive to the trailhead and how long I had been hiking. I spent a lot of time taking pictures and a lot of time soaking in the surroundings on the hike in. I figured that the hike out would be quicker, but I ended up returning a whole lot faster than I anticipated. So, as it turned out, I could have hiked farther. But it’s still a good idea to err on the side of caution.
So after all that talking about the things I loved the most about the trail, I decided that instead of uploading any of my better pictures I was just going to upload a picture of a generic forest. This was shot at the beginning of the trail before the vegetation changes to what I was talking about earlier. This is my version of a simple, quick snapshot while hiking. Who knows, maybe someone will download this and decide to take a hike.