hiking to the Blue Pool; kayaking Clear Lake

We had a cozy night of Uno and reading in the tent (no campfires in Oregon right now), and then Liesl and I woke up early on Wednesday. We took a brief walk along the lake while Seb slept in. It was so calm -- not a ripple on the water -- and so empty of people. We love Clear Lake for how quiet it is, both the lake itself and the campground.

After breakfast, we tackled the 4.5 mile hike to the Blue Pool, a few miles downstream on the McKenzie River. The forest and trail are classic PNW, with big trees and fun stumps and logs for climbing, with the rushing river alongside. 

 

We reached the top, with views down on the stunning blue waters of the pool. The forest here looked a little less healthy than I remembered -- drier and less green -- and the water was low -- but it's still amazing. We tied Jasper to a tree because it was a long way down to the water.

And then we hiked back, a little hot and tired, and had lunch and reading time at the campsite before heading out on the lake. Seb and Jasper kayaked and Liesl and I paddleboarded around the lake for a few hours, enjoying the sun and cold water.

Jasper again surprised us with the very willing, even enthusiastic, alacrity with which he jumped into the front seat of the kayak. It didn't take any convincing (i.e. treats or threats) at all! It was so great to all be out on the water together and made me so happy that we bought the paddleboard (two kayaks can't fit in the car with camping equipment).

 

We retreated again for more reading and relaxing, ate dinner, and then headed out on our boats for one of our favorite parts of camping here: watching birds dive for fish at sunset. It's magical to float in the middle of the lake and watch the birds flying back and forth over and around you, occasionally diving for fish. We stayed out there until it was dark and we were chilly, and then played a goofy game of Scrabble in the tent before falling asleep early.