Packwood Lake

It’s spring break. My kids are in Oregon. I needed to process, recharge, be… just… be. I chose Packwood Lake.

Packwood was a wonderful experience. I arrived at the trailhead soon after 9. There was only one other vehicle in the lot. I encountered that group leaving when I arrived at the near side of the lake. The only other person I ran into was the Ranger, Cooper, who was great (ironically, from my homestate!).

I took the lake trail to the fairside, crossing back into the Wilderness area of the forest. Quiet, serene. While sitting on the shore, having lunch, the weather kept shifting between sun with clouds and heavy fog, wind, light rain. For the most part, it kept with the former. On the way back to the trailhead, I did get a quick shot of a rapidly fading rainbow.

The birdsong. It just came on so quickly, a melange of various voices, but what was the most remarkable was a pair of loons. I never heard them in the PNW.