Summer Camping

I went camping this summer, a lot more than I can write about and definitely more than anyone would care to read about. I picked my favorite Oregon spots to share with you, listed chronologically.

Succor Creek located in the high desert of southeast Oregon - Everyone should experience that extreme isolation at least once in their lives - just remember to bring a friend that has 4WD, a lot of water, extra gasoline, and do NOT forget your moisturizer, because it is going to be a few days until you find a place that sells any.

Table Rock Wilderness Area in Mollala River Recreational Corridor - Adam brought a crew of men to aid in his quest for gold. It was a very wet weekend, but there was a lot of space to walk along the river and up old mining trails and never pass another person.

Paulina Lake of Newberry Crater National Volcanic Monument - we took the 6.5 mile hike around the lake and made a day out of it by stopping to fish and soak our feet in the hot spring waters bubbling up along the lake's edge... and we both caught rainbow trout! Made a stop at the obsidian flow and had another geology lesson from Professor Large. (In simple folk terms - obsidian is glass-like black rock that Native Americans used for arrowheads.)

Opal Creek Wilderness and Scenic Area - the only spot where we backpacked camped. It was extremely crowded for the first few miles on an awkward gravel road. We went maybe 6 miles in before we set up camp and there were only two people that stayed overnight in the rare old-growth forest. Not worth a second trip, in my opinion, but the turquoise waters and rocky gorge are well worth a visit and plenty of photos.