Then quickly up to the Old Baldy trail and over the Tumala divide toward Twin Springs. It was my first time experiencing the view point of the wrap-around hanging valley that contains Tumala Lakes... Wow ya
After the rockslide viewpoint, the trail goes through some up and down with a secret little view point of Wildcat, Huckleberry Mtn., and Eagle Creek Valley at an opening above the path. At Twin Springs, I found the source of the springs, which were just trickles. I chose the most suitable one and was able to refill with enough water to complete the journey. Then Abbot Rd. trotting.. ugh no! It's only about .8 miles one way, but it was nice to finally see the Plaza Lake trailhead. Switchbacking down from the ridgeline, there are brief views through the trees of Hood and the S. Fork Salmon drainage. Then the trees get big. Real big, old growth niceness.
Once I got to the lake, I saw a tarp with some misc. things spread over it beneath a massive Doug Fir. Here's a shot of that massive Doug, 6-7 ft in diameter...
The tarp freaked me out, as I had not seen anyone or any cars all day. So I sat on a log and just relaxed. After 10 minutes of getting used to a new place, I felt comfortable and had heard absolutely nothing. So I derobed and took a skinny dip with the newts and fish that I could see sharing the water.
I'm curious if anyone knows more about the geology of the area. It seems that Plaza Lake is a hanging lake of sorts... did glaciers carve the bowl it sits in? The Tumala Lakes wrap around valley also looks glacially created. Whatever the case, this is a very special area. So quiet, and so full of wildlife. I watched a flock of dozens of swallows shimmer through the air and skim the lake surface, all singing to each other in the most wonderful layers of sound. Here's a shot that kind of speaks to the hanging quality of Plaza Lake:
Then the long rollercoaster back to the car... for a little over 10 miles round trip. I gorged on huckleberries and saw nobody all day. Just a tarp. I want to go back with a friend to remove it, so people can enjoy this special place in peace. Here's a shot of Tumala Mtn's 3 mini-cones (4th not visible) just for fun:
