wathum.

yesterday i decided to go for a hike. since i'm not all that familiar with the wilderness areas around portland, especially in the summer, i researched some places online. my basic criteria were small, no fees, and primitive resources (i.e. no bathrooms or running water). i figured with these caveats i could find somewhere that is pristine, quiet, and empty. so i stumbled upon wathum lake campground which according to the public lands website consists of 6 fee-free hike in campsites along the lake shore with several trails leading off into the wilderness. so i headed out. after a narrowly missed head on collision driving up the one lane windy road to the parking lot, i guess we had both assumed and hoped that we would be the only ones up there seeing that it was the middle of the week, reminding myself of north westerners penchant for outdoor activities and the fact that it was the first truly sunny day in a while, i wasn't surprised to find the small parking lot almost full. i was also aggravated to find that a (perhaps newly) imposed fee was required: $5 for the day or $10 for overnight. i probably could have gotten away without paying it, but seeing that my car insurance just jumped $100 a month after a small accident and a very large speeding ticket in the past 6 months, the last thing i need is another ticket for something stupid like that. so i paid my fee, filled out my wilderness permit, tried to make sense of the crude map at the trail head, and was on my way. the small lake was gorgeous. i started winding my way along its shore then up the mountainside. the trail was fairly skinny and obviously not well traveled. it was lined with wild blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries which made nice snacks along the way. at one point i heard a deep, guttural growl from the side of the trail. due to the thick forest and my instinctual notion to get the hell out of there, i did not stand around long enough to see what it was. for all i know it could have been a large bug or a tree branch creaking, but my mind went straight to the thought of a very large, angry animal. so i briskly kept walking, claping loudly, whistling, and stopping every 10 or so steps to do a 360 degree scan of the area around me. from all my outdoor experience back home where many coyotes and bears roam freely i've learned to make yourself loud so the animal does not feel like it's being hunted, make yourself appear large and powerful to threaten the animal, and if attacked to play dead. all these things were rushing through my head, along with my racing heart beat, and the guilt in not researching the area more and failing to tell anyone exactly where i was going. luckily, i never saw anything and am alive and well to tell the tale. while i attribute it to my sense of adventure and strong desire to see the view from the top, some may think i'm just plain stupid, but i continued on. i ran into a group of elderly women hiking along and they told me to be careful, which didn't really sit well considering my recent incident. i just smiled and continued on. i eventually came to a fork in the trail and realized i had been on the pacific crest trail without even realizing it. luckily the other trail doubled back to the one i had intended to take. i ended up in a clearing near the top of the ridge but there were still many trees blocking the view. i was just about to give up and go back the way i came when i found another tiny trail leading farther up the ridge. i was richly rewarded with a great view of mt. hood, the lake below, the columbia river and gorge in the distance, and four other snow capped peaks i don't even know the names of. i successfully, and safely, made it back to the parking lot after taking a dip in the lake with the salamanders and crawdads and having a late lunch on a sunny rock. i ran back into the elderly ladies in the parking lot, one of whom had changed out of her hiking boots into high heels. i can only hope to be that spry when i'm her age. altogether, it was definitely worth the $5 and more.