Backpacking at Olallie Lake

Our fourth backpacking trip of the season was in the Olallie Lake Scenic Area, one of my favorite places in Oregon. [This photo is from the Redwoods; haven't had time to download the Olallie Lake photos yet.] Olallie Lake is about 2.5 hours from Portland, and the trail starts at the Olallie Lake resort. We arrived at around 6:00 on a Friday, and since there were several other cars at the trailhead, we decided that Jeff should run ahead to check out the camping situation (we weren't sure which lake to head to - Timber Lake or Top Lake - or how many spots were at each lake).

"Olallie" means berry, and in August the trails are lined with huckleberry bushes - some with big powdery blue berries; some with dark purple, almost black, berries; some with tiny little red berries. They are all about two feet tall - just the right size for a two-year-old who could happily consume huckleberries for weeks on end. I purposely did not point out the huckleberries to Melina because I knew we wouldn't be going anywhere once she discovered them; and surprisingly, she didn't immediately realize they were. She hiked almost the entire 1+ mile to the campsite, stopping occasionally to point out a pine needle or a rock, and constantly asking "what'sat? What'sat?" Eventually we came across another group of hikers who commented on all the huckleberries and showed them to Melina. After that, progress was slow.

Once Jeff took off to find us a campsite (stashing his backpack behind a rock), it was just Melina and me in the wilderness. Even though there was no-one around, the trail was easy, there was plenty of light, and I had a good map and knew where we were going, I was a little nervous. During our last four backpacking trips I've had plenty of time to ponder all of the things that could go wrong during a trip:

• Angry bear could attack.
  
• Angry mountain lion could attack.
  
• Mosquito could carry West Nile virus, causing extended suffering.
  
• Tree could fall on tent (this happened to me when I was eight years old).
  
• Earthquake could cause rocks and trees to fall on hikers, tent.
  
• Melina could fall off a cliff.
  
• Melina could drown in a lake.
  
• Jeff or Melina could get lost. (I'm not worried about ME getting lost).
  
• Crazy mountain man or Yahoo could attack.
  
• Forest fire could trap us. (We were hiking at Olallie Lake when a large forest fire started once, so this fear is not completely unfounded).
  
• Unknown creature could grab leg while swimming in the lake.
  
• Giardia.
  
• Could experience heart attack while jumping into cold water.
  
• Jeff could get leg pinned between two boulders while searching for firewood, etc.
  
• UFO could hover over campsite, abducting occupants. (This seems completely real late at night under the spreading stars).
  
• Nuclear war could erupt and we wouldn't know about it.
  
• Could find dead body in remote location.
  
• Melina could freeze or suffocate in her sleeping bag (requiring me to check on her frequently during the night).
  

OK, so some of these are more likely than others. I've realized that being out in the (somewhat remote) wilderness is a good way to examine your fears and figure out which ones are worth the effort. In the end, none of these things happened, though I was a bit concerned about a "nearby" forest fire (actually about 60 miles away) that sent smoke our way when the wind was from the east.

Jeff found us a nice spot on Timber Lake. There were a few other parties there during the weekend, and we saw quite a few hikers during the day, but everyone was friendly and polite and there wasn't too much negative Yahoo energy. On the second day we did a loop hike and bushwhacked down to a couple of lakes that had no trails leading to them. We found some nice campsites on these remote lakes and plan to return; I'm pretty sure we would have the lakes completely to ourselves, even on a busy weekend.

Melina did great, as she has always done on hiking trips. I think she's a born hiker. She slept well, only waking up once on Sunday night; she climbed like a mountain goat over rocks and trees; she played in the dirt to hear heart's content and found new ways to pass the time with her little Playmobil people. I've found that's actually easier being with Melina when we're out in the wilderness - because there's less that I have to do, because Jeff is always around, and because she entertains herself really well. She becomes this self-reliant, confident, able-bodied kid who barely resembles the two-year-old I was afraid she might be. She's a pretty cool kid!