Another gorgeous sunny day in Central Oregon. To celebrate I decided to return to Carl Lake in the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness.

The hike begins in an area that was caught in a forest fire in 2003. The dense snowbrush, manzinita and lodgepole pine had already grown above my head since the fire.

After leaving the wildfire area, the Trail passed Cabot Lake and three other small lakes on the way to Carl Lake, an alpine gem. The red cinders on North Cinder Peak sparkled in the midday sunlight.

After exploring the glacier-polished rock on the rim of Carl Lake, I decided to hike another two miles to Junction Lake which lies under the summit of North Cinder Peak. The little tarn sits on the headwall of Cabot Creek. From there I could see the parking area at the trailhead far in the distance, the entire drainage of Cabot Creek and Green Ridge.

On the return hike I stopped for awhile at Carl Lake and marveled at the beauty of the the deep alpine lake.

What a scenic and fun hike – – – one of the best!