Hyatt Lake to Little Hyatt Reservoir 9-15-23

Photos by Elisabeth and Val

Ashland Hiking Home

Seven of us relished a beautiful blue-sky day in the woods enroute to and beyond Little Hyatt Lake, following the PCT. The old growth trees create such a peaceful, reflective environment. The remnants of spring wildflowers prompted memories of spring wildflower hikes and anticipation of the coming fall.

Upon reaching the Little Hyatt Lake Dam, we found a group of about ten artists setting up for their sketches, drawings, and paintings of scenes at the falls, Dam, creek, and lake shore. We learned that they are members of a Friday artists outing to find their inspirations from a chosen setting for the day. We kept our voices low to avoid disturbing their work as we meandered near them up the road above the Dam and back down to cross the bridge over the creek.

To add mileage and achieve a more suitable time for lunch, we headed onward along the PCT above the lake. We met two young women PCT hikers and a tired dog. One woman was from Washington state, the other from the Netherlands. One in our group remarked about enjoying the Dutch Oven, presuming it hailed from the Netherlands. To our surprise and the young woman’s, she had never heard of a Dutch Oven. She was delighted to hear a description in anticipation of asking her grandparents.

The PCT trail above Hyatt Lake rises and falls for pleasant hiking through more old growth trees. At 11 o’clock, we were getting hungry so returned to the Dam and climbed up above the Dam to access the short trail to our customary spot for lunch. Sitting on the logs overlooking the lake, we enjoyed visiting and relaxing.

After returning up the grade to our cars the way we came down, we found that we’d managed a 5-mile hike with nearly 700’ elevation gain. Along the journey, members shared useful information to inform one another’s world travels and interesting books to read. Lastly, we expressed our good fortune with Ashland’s spring and summer weather, and only two weeks with poor air quality from regional fires. A wonderful hike and group.

Elisabeth