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| Three Fingered Jack standing above Round Lake |
From the Northwest corner of the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness,
where I had hiked into Crown Lake, I headed toward its Southeast section, where
forest fires have dramatically changed the landscape. Clearly, new vegetation
has established itself among the silver poles, which were once thriving
conifers, standing above the fresh greenery.
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| Round lake through the silver poles |
I expected a full campground at Round Lake when I arrived
there in the evening. However, no one else was there, except for some fishermen
parked near the lake. This was surprising, considering it was the beginning of
July, the weather was spectacular and there is only about three (I didn’t
count) campsites at Round Lake.
Sun setting over Round Lake
Having planned to hike into Square Lake the next morning, I
set up camp and watched the sun drop behind the West side of the high Cascades.
The lake has a great view of Three Fingered Jack, which I’m not sure would be as
brilliant if the forest was fully foliated, as it was prior to the fires.
Trailhead sign to Square Lake
Knowing it would be hot and shade would be scarce, I hit the
trail early the next day. The trail climbs from the West end of Round Lake up
over a ridge before flattening out. Here is where, with a little imagination,
one can see that views are much more expansive without the foliage from pine
trees blocking one’s sight. Although the silver poles left standing are
somewhat unsightly, they allow views of the area that one might never have seen
had it not been for the devastation. “Unsightly” might even be too strong.
“Unusual,” perhaps, is more appropriate.
Square Lake
Although it was only about 8:00 am when I arrived at Square
Lake - about 2 miles from the trailhead - the bare forest had warmed quickly.
Continuing to the West end of the lake, I chose to go left at a trail junction,
which took me South toward the Santiam Pass. After a short and gradual uphill
hike, I stopped at a small saddle, where views of Mt. Washington and the Three
Sisters appeared. From there, a short scramble to the top of a rock outcropping
provided a grand view of Square Lake below and Three Fingered Jack to the North.
Mt. Washington and Three Sisters through the silver poles
My map showed a “Long Lake” near the trail between Round
Lake and Square Lake, but I didn’t see it on the hike into Square Lake. So, on
my way back, I made it a point to look closely for Long Lake or any side trails
that might lead to it. None were found and no lake was seen.
Three Fingered Jack from rock outcropping above Square Lake
One thing I did notice, though, was the number of trees
growing to replace those that had burned. The numbers of these small pines in
some areas are prolific, roughly four feet tall and seemingly growing like
weeds. In other areas, there are none.
Black Butte from road 1210
On my way back down out of the mountains from Round Lake, I
continued along road 1210 along its southern-most stretch. This section of road
provides outstanding views of the Cascades stretching from Three Finger Jack to
the Three Sisters.
Three Fingered Jack from road 1210
