Hiking Among Glass Rocks

 

Views from our campsite

Oh what a beautiful morning…a chilly 37 degrees at 7:45 AM PST, but a bright blue sky with actual sunshine.  Today we did some hiking around the immediate area. 

On our little map we spotted a hot springs so in honor of TH we thought we’d check it out.  A nice warm-up hike for the morning through standing forest set along the banks of East Lake. 



The Hot Spring in East Lake
 



Our morning visitor

 

Firestarter flowers
 

After a ½ mile or so we spotted algae and grasses growing in the cold lake water…figured it must be part of the hot springs.  After a bit further we smelled sulphur and knew we’d found the spot.  The minnows had too.  Paulina and East lakes are home to Kokanee salmon, Atlantic salmon, rainbow and brown trout.  A fisherman walked by with a beautiful rainbow trout he’d just caught…too bad we didn’t get a picture. 




Obsidian rock

Since we didn’t relish the idea of hiking across black lava with hot sun we headed towards the Obsidian Lava field.  Huge black glass, gray and black pumice formed the last time Newberry Volcano blew its top..1400 years ago.  Due to the really sharp nature of the obsidian and other rocks we took turns staying with Cooper at the trailhead.  Too sharp for his paws and really too sharp for the shoes most people seemed to be wearing…sandals, flip flops, and flats?  Hate to see what their shoes (and feet) looked like once hike they returned from that hike.

Cooper waiting at the bottom



More obsidian





Volcanic glass

 

View of Paulina Peak from the flow
 

American Kestral

While sitting with the dog both of us were able to spot what turned out to be an American Kestrel.  When it was first spotted it was being harassed by a set of Clark’s Nutcrackers.  Once Bill returned from his hike he was given strict orders to ‘look for a bird with a red tail’.  Thankfully we were able to catch a number of pictures of the bird...Bill had the best shots. 

Clark's above the Kestral
 

Cindi’s was pure accident…the kestrel was in the lower branch of the tree while she was shooting pictures of the Clark Nutcracker. If we’d been dogless we might have gotten a bit closer, but taking Cooper closer to a pond of scummy water wasn’t a good idea.



A new perch
 

Paulina Falls

Our day ended with a trip to Paulina Falls.  A perfect ending as it turned out…stunning falls.  It falls about 80 feet over a lava rock gorge into a creek that heads down towards the Deschutes River.   Actually the falls seems to be split into two sections…one slightly larger than the other.  Not sure if these sections exist in Spring during the snow melt…it may be one huge water fall during the early season. 

When we hiked down to the base we had it all to ourselves.  It seems no one likes to hike down…not too bad compared to a few other hikes we have done.  This one was super short… one-quarter mile one way.  It was almost like cheating having it that close to the parking lot.  We were even able to catch a quick glimpse of a weasel/mink/otter creature along the banks of the river…we’ve decided that it had to be a mink.  Solid black and quick…no time to get the picture.

Doesn't Cooper look thrilled?
 

More Paulina Falls

With clear skies we’re planning on grilled brats and corn on the cob…finally a non-sandwich night.

 

 

What would thrill Cooper