From Round Lake to Square Lake – Views between the silver poles

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.

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

A short yet scenic hike into Firecamp Lakes

All but the top of Mt. Jefferson along the trail to Crown Lake

It was time to go back to the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness, having not entered the area since either the B&B fire of 2003 or the Puzzle fire in 2006. Both fires combined to burn 47,000 of the 105,000 acres that make up the wilderness area.

Blooming Beargrass along the trail

Entering the wilderness from the Northwest, where the Firecamp Lakes lie, there is no indication of the fires that devastated much of the wilderness. Instead, healthy conifers and blooming bear grass greeted me in late June on my way into the lakes.

Crown Lake

Firecamp Lakes are made up of Crown and Claggett Lakes and an unknown, much smaller pond.

Mt. Jefferson rises above Crown Lake

The hike to Crown Lake begins in an old clearcut, where thick Beargrass was in full bloom. The trail climbs steeply from the outset through much of the clearcut and then settles into a much easier grade as it enters the more established forest.

Crown Lake

Crown Lake lies only about a mile from the trailhead. The trail, prior to dropping into the lake’s basin, provides nice views of Mt. Jefferson above the ridge standing over the lake’s basin. Plenty of mosquitoes were there to greet me at the lake, expected but always unwelcome.   

Black Wolf Meadows elicit old story and trigger imagination

 A wolf nurses her pups outside their den

Wolves are making a lot of news lately. From wolf hunting in the upper Midwest to the expansion of the habitat, including into Oregon, wolves are a hot topic.. The latest news of wolves jarred loose the memory of a hike taken several years back into the area of High Rock atop the Clackamas River drainage.

Tis the season for hypothermia

A recent news piece regarding a woman found in the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness along the Pamelia Lake trail with hypothermia is a reminder that temperatures are dropping, most severely in the mountains. In this particular instance, the woman had taken off some of her clothing in response to her body cooling. Although it doesn’t seem to make any sense, this is a symptom of hypothermia and has been observed in other cases. Here is a quick piece on how to recognize and treat hypothermia.

Hypothermia is defined as having a core body temperature less than 95 degrees F or 35 degrees C. It most often occurs because of prolonged exposure to cold weather.

Shivering is the body's automatic defense against cold temperature, as it attempts to warm itself. It is one of the symptoms of hypothermia. Other symptoms include clumsiness or lack of coordination, slurred speech, confusion, poor decision making (i.e. removing clothes), drowsiness, apathy, loss of consciousness, weak pulse and shallow breathing. People with hypothermia often do not know what they are suffering from because of their confused state.

According to WebMD, treatment for hypothermia includes restoring warmth slowly. This is done by getting the person indoors and removing any wet clothing. If wet, dry the person off and warm their trunk first (warming extremities first can cause shock). Wrap the person in blankets or put dry clothes on them.

Do not immerse the person in warm water. Rapid warming can cause heart arrhythmia. If using hot water bottles or chemical hot packs, wrap them in cloth; don't apply them directly to the skin. Begin CPR, if necessary, while warming the person.

Give the person warm fluids if they are conscious, but not coffee or alcohol. Finally, keep them warm and seek medical treatment.