East Lake

I went on a camping trip this weekend to East Lake. I'd been there before, but just for day trips. I hadn't been real camping in a while, just in the backyard or a cabin. I was worried that the appeal of a tent and a sleeping bag would have worn off. Nope! It's still as wonderful as ever! There's just something about the campfire, sleeping in a tent, waking up in the early morning and hearing the birds, sitting there in the peace that I love and so many other things that I've missed.

We went up on Sunday afternoon and when we got there, there was snow on the ground still, yep snow! It wasn't cold till the sun went down then the chill set in a bit! If you haven't been to the Newberry Crater area you should go, the combination of forest, lakes, streams, and lava flow create a very picturesque landscape. We hiked the Big Obsidian flow and some of us(mainly me!) fell in the snow that inevitably covers parts of the trail until Mid July. The little green lake nestled right next to the flow makes one feel God can create beauty out of the bad things in life.

Here we are standing on a lava flow, a totally devastating event and yet look what it has become! Just listen to the glassy crunch as you walk over a path made of crushed obsidian and pumice. You can feel the different textures beneath your feet and feel them with your hands as you trail your fingers over the surrounding rocks. The deep black of the obsidian and the light pastels of the pumice contrast with the sparkling white of the snow. Moss and lichen grow in these unfriendly circumstances and when you come upon a tree the hardiness of Gods creation is once again made fresh in your heart. It makes you feel that it's out of the hard times God creates the most beautiful parts of your life!

Sorry, normal prose just wouldn't do for that last paragraph! We also drove up to Paulina Peak. You can hike or bike up, but a more committed group of hikers would be needed to accomplish this=) I for one am more of a recreational hiker, no South Sister or things of that nature for me! We had Tim(the friend who is being a bad influence on my musical tastes!) drive up because it was rumored to be a slightly scary drive. As it turns out that was a very good call. We couldn't make it all the way to the top and had to u~turn on a small mountain road. We climbed up to an out croping of rocks and scrambled up to take a gander at the view. It was beautiful. I forgot my camera though, so you'll have to take my word for it!

We then headed back to camp for dinner, fellowship and campfire worship(right Kelli?). On a side note I finished The Janitors Boy by Andrew Clements, a must read! All of his books are must reads, I haven't read one yet that I didn't like. Sleeping was a little cold, but mostly just my nose. I woke up early as usual and read and walked by the lake till Tim got up and we tried to make a fire. Three times! It never worked. No matter how much lighter fluid Tim squirted on it. Tim made us pancakes and though they stuck and were a little black, they were still very good and very much appreciated. We had fake syrup, sometimes fake syrup is just needed. Camping is one of those times!=) Lost the dog a few times, but we always found him!

The Toomeys finally got up and we watched in awe(at least I watched in awe!) as Mr. Toomey made a fire, that stayed lit!!! We sat and talked for a little bit more. Then we packed up camp and went for a hike along Paulina Falls. We walked along one side of the creek until we reached the bridge then turned back to go the the base of the falls. Had a lot more fun scrambling along on different rocks and taking pictures. Lots of pictures. I remembered my camera this time. Then we came home and unpacked and showered! Last time I went real camping I short hair, short hair is much nicer for camping! Nothing holds on to smoke smell better then hair! For some reason what smelled so good out in the forest really gets stinky at home! Pictures will come in the next post, but I fear this one is to long already!