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| Jorn Lake, Mt. Jefferson Wilderness |
Many moons ago and after hiking and backpacking for some time, I finally
convinced my bride to join me on a weekend backpack trip to Duffy
Lake, located in the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness. The plan was to hike 3.5 miles into
the lake and set up a base camp. From there, we could set out and explore
nearby lakes such as Mowich and Santiam.
When we arrived at the lake (including Calvin the Wonder
Dog) its waters were barely visible. Ghostly grey clouds whisped across its
surface, carried in the arms of winds that blow daily throughout the high
Cascades. For a moment we heard voices that sounded as if they came from only a
few feet away, adding to the eeriness of the situation. Soon, we discovered
that the voices came from across the lake, a result of water's ability to
transmit a little sound across a great distance.
Believing another 300 feet of elevation might get us out of
the fog, we decided to hike the extra mile into Mowich Lake, where we ended up
establishing camp along the forest rimmed, 49 acre lake. The fog (more likely
clouds) remained, but not as thick as at Duffy Lake.
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| Mowich Lake (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
The bevy of mountain lakes in this area is similar to other
lake basins throughout Oregon's Cascade Range. Ice in the form of glaciers,
sometimes thousands of feet thick, scoured out these basins during several ice
ages. Subsequently, the depressions left filled with water from snow melt and
rainwater from nearby drainage areas. The same process generated the lakes in
other basins such as the Olallie Lake Scenic Area, Jefferson Park, Waldo Lake
Wilderness, Mink Lake area of the Three Sisters Wilderness and Sky Lakes
Wilderness, to name just a few.
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Mowich Lake
Mowich is the Chinook Jargon word for deer, and from my
visits to these waters and surrounding lakes, I have concluded the name is
appropriate. Evening hikes have produced up close views of many of these shy
critters. Unfortunately, the trout in the lake have never been quite as
cooperative. That afternoon I fished the lake and after 2 hours returned to
camp without even a nibble.
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Red Butte above Jorn Lake
The next morning I rousted Calvin and we hiked further into
Eight Lakes Basin, past Red Butte and on to Jorn Lake. This scenic body of
water, along with the sun rising into the blue sky over the lodge pole pine forest,
was an absolutely spectacular view. It was so inspiring that a few years later
I was once again drawn to the lake via Marion Lake. That time I pulled a nice sized, brightly colored brook trout from Jorn Lake's waters.
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Jorn Lake Brookie
After a short walk from Jorn Lake to Blue Lake, another mountain
gem, Calvin and I headed back to camp, viewing Three Finger Jack and Mt.
Jefferson along the way.
That afternoon, my bride and I packed up camp and, after
trudging back down the trail, saw what we were unable to see the day before -
Duffy Lake. We stopped and took a little time to enjoy the lake's sights and
sounds before continuing to the trailhead and home.
