After going far too long without camping, I started to put together a trip to not only get out for the weekend but to also finally see Indigo Lake. It took about two weeks to get everything sorted with getting up to snuff with my gear and planning a route through the mountains. The plan was to leave the pavement Friday night and not return until Sunday, making our way across the Calapooya Mountains into Eastern Oregon.
The trip started a little later than planned, but we managed to get into the wilderness a little before 8 PM. With it officially being the first day of summer, we had plenty of daylight to get to our first campsite, an old quarry in a rock outcropping overlooking a colossal valley. It was incredibly peaceful, I'd been to this spot a few times before but never camped. We had the whole forest to ourselves; there wasn't another person around for miles.
We caught the last few rays of the sunset and then started making camp. Soon after that, we were grilling steaks and enjoying the glow of the fire. Though it was only a half moon, the lack of light pollution allowed you to see quite well without the need for a flashlight. Everything was going smoothly until we started hearing the craziest sound above us. It was these short bursts of noise, like a flutter almost. At first, our minds went to the sound of a projectile or even a bullet, but we didn't hear any impact noises or the sound of the gun firing. The noise would come and go until finally our nerves had had enough and we put some real brainpower to what we were hearing. Low and behold, the sounds corresponded with a bird chirping. For whatever reason, this bird was chirping in the dark close to midnight then somehow generating the crazy sound. With the mystery solved, we headed to bed; we had a fun day ahead of us.
We took the morning pretty easy making a big breakfast and checking out the magnificent view one last time before packing up to make our way. The goal was to traverse the mountain roads and eventually come down around Summit Lake before heading south down to Timpanogas lake where we would make camp. Unfortunately, while planning our route, google didn't know the difference between a washed out road that was closed and the bypass to get around it, so you guessed it, we took the washed out road.
Our first clue should have been the series of small tank traps we had to cross, but in the excitement of the adventure, we assumed they were for flood control. About ten or so of them in, we came up to the Big-Daddy-Please-Turn-Around tank trap that should have been the end of the road. For all that we knew, that was the only way forward and that we had no choice but to keep moving forward. Our first attempt at Big Daddy had my truck high centered, but luckily not stuck, and 20 minutes with the shovel and ax, we were on our way. The next section of road was rough and slow going with lots of trail maintenance and some pretty sketchy parts until we finally found out why Big Daddy was there in the first place, three massive slides that washed the road out thoroughly, we had no choice but to turn around.
We started looking over the map for alternative routes and were getting pretty discouraged by the extra time it would take to get around when I finally found the bypass. I don't know how I missed it before, but by taking this alternative route, we didn't lose any extra time other than from our side quest. As we headed further, I finally finished the Emigrant Pass coming in from the west to Summit Lake. The time I was there previous, it was still unpassable with snow. I also learned that in the same area and quite possibly the same road, was the pass my Great Great Great Grandmother took on the Oregon Trail. They were apart of a lost wagon trail that had inadequate information about a new pass across the Cascades. Luckily they made it through and so did we!
After getting to Timpinagas Lake and setting up camp, I took my kayak out for its maiden voyage and did a bit of fishing. Unfortunately, I was having technical difficulties with my reel, but not before catching at least one small Rainbow Trout that I threw back for its small size. The great thing about our campsite was that we were only a few hundred yards to the trailhead, so we took it easy and settled into some relaxing that evening and following morning.
Once camp was packed up, we geared up and hit the trail. It was a relatively uneventful hike with mosquitos posing as our only, but we prevailed. About an hour later we were finally there, Indigo Lake. There is the saying that you don't know what you don't know, and I definitely didn't realize that there was indeed alternative routes I could have taken on my failed attempts, but there is also something so sweet about a victory of perseverance.
Once to the lake, our expedition was now a success. We took our time soaking in the view and marveling at the beauty that was before us before haking our way around the lake. We stopped many times enjoying new vies and perspectives before climbing up the road slide into a shaded relief for one last moment of reflection. The rest of the trip went off without a hitch, and my first expedition was a success. I can't wait for whats next.
