Week 28 - Oregon City and Eddeeleo Lakes - July 7 - July13, 2025

This week..... Clara, Gretchen, and Abby got their birthday presents...a backpacking trip to Eddeeleo Lakes.    Monday---

 

I had intended to take them to Obsidian, but a satellite map showed snow, and I don't do snow anymore.  I remembered, that several years ago I'd planned a trip to Eddeeleo Lakes but had to cancel because of forest fires.  So.....what should "forest fires 4 years ago" seem to say to someone?  Yes - probably there are a lot of burned trees in the area!  But, being an experienced backpacker, I did not call the nearest ranger station for a trail update, nor did I look at a recent satellite photo of the area.  

My first clue was when we got out of the car, and there were only burned trees and Bear Grass along the trail.

There were some spots of green trees...enough to keep luring us onward.

We took a side trail to Lower Quinn Lake and found a nice little spot with an 'okay' place for the tent.....but access to the lake wasn't perfect.    surely there would be a better place...like at the end of Long Lake, only 2 miles away.   Well....there wasn't a better place.!  We ended up placing the tent on the actual trail which was a combination of soft dirt and ashes!

It really was awful... Travis bushwhacked to Long Lake, filled our bottles and brought back a full bag of water to filter.  Yes, it was awful, but we survived!  It was a good lesson on "how to make the best of a bad place".

The next morning (our second day) we broke camp and headed back over the trail.

After about a mile, we came upon thus sign showing the trail to Upper Quinn Lake.  Disclaimer....THIS SIGN WAS NOT VISIBLE WHEN WE PASSED IT THE PREVIOUS DAY!

TUESDAY

The trail took us to a perfect campsite on a little hill above Upper Quinn Lake.  Really, it was perfect!

There was fishing!

Travis did catch a much bigger one....like 12 inches

...and he and I ate the fish.

There was swimming and splashing.

Tending mosquito bites

And playing gin rummy and Code Names!

WEDNESDAY  morning I took "early morning"  photos of the lake.

Thursday morning - it was time to pack up and go.  We walked through the burned forest...on a trail covered with downed trees and burned brush.

Our destination was the Dairy Queen in Oakridge, Oregon.

FRIDAY I had to wash the car.

It was a good trip 

--we met trouble with courage

---disappointment with cheerfulness

----and triumph with Humility (actually with Relief)

On Sunday, Malcolm blessed Samuel Francis Gray.  Sam was perfect...so was Malcolm.

The cats would have loved the hike