Greenwater Lakes, 2021

 

 

 

 

 Greenwater Lakes sign

 

 

Where did we hike?  The Greenwater Lakes trail.  We had been on this trail in February of 2015 when the river was considerably lower.  This time we managed to hit what was is probably the height of the Spring runoff.  The water was turbulent, high, almost to flood stage and had broached the trail in a couple of places.  There was a rampaging roar all along the way.  The river making islands in of some previously dry areas and isolating trees in the lakes.  The sign at the trailhead warned that the bridge at the 2.5-mile mark was closed.  Another note was tacked on the board mentioning two cougar sightings less than a mile from the trailhead a few days earlier.  We did not see any animals except one lone chipmunk and a few birds. 

 

 

 

A boardwalk across the water.  Normally this section would not be flooded.

 

Standing on the boardwalk looking at trees in the water

This log bridge had two rails.  The water is almost up to the bank and running fast.

 

 

 The river is flowing over downed trees and lapping at the trail bank

 

 

The two small lakes are flooded and joined together with trees partly submerged

 

 Another view of partly submerged trees in the lake(s)
 

The trail is wide enough in most sections for two people to walk together.  It winds up and down and comes close to the edge of the river in a few places.  The surface is packed earth with needles with the usual rocks and roots sprinkled here and there.  The grade is gentle except for a couple of steep places and has only one set of 6 stairs.  The trail is also used by horses.  There are horse fords across the river and a horse bridge that can be used by hikers.  Considering the violence of the water, I doubted that any horse would try fording the river the day we hiked.  The foot bridges are single logs with at least one railing.  We hoped to make it to the closed bridge but did not make it that far. We encountered a bridge with only one wobbly railing that was without a rail for about 12 feet at the end.  The river was high and dangerous.  While I tried to work up enough courage to cross, Bob did a trial crossing and decided the missing rail at the far end would prove a too big problem on the return to be safe.  

 

 

 The one rail bridge where we turned back

While not in the protected Wilderness area it is near and there are plenty of large trees.  Here Bob stands by a downed tree that was cut to allow trail use.  There were lots of the wildflowers we expect to see.  Calypso orchids are shy and fun to find.  The tiny Blue-eyed Mary was a surprise as was the beautiful Oregon anemone.
 

Calypso Orchid

 

 Blue-eyed Mary

 

Oregon anemone
 

 

On the return to the car, we met a group of 11 kids and two adult leaders on a backpacking expedition.  I’m not sure where they were planning to camp as the water was up to the trail edge and the normal dry places were underwater.  The two lakes were united into one fairly large lake and the normal campsites were also underwater.

 

 

A Forest Service Pass is required.  We did a 4 mile RT, 500 ft elevation gain.

Count:  25 people, including the group of 11 kids and 2 adults backpacking, 5 dogs.