Azalea Lake

Eleven of us headed out to Applegate and beyond to hike up to the ridge above Azalea Lake. Three of us decided to hike down to the lake for an additional 2+ miles and 500+ extra feet of elevation (on the way back from lunch).

The temperatures started in the mid to high 50’s and never got above 62 degrees the entire day. The sky was full of puffy white clouds contrasted with the deep blue sky. Several of us learned about a new oak bush, which looked more like rodadendrums, but with little acorns hiding in the leaves.

Lunch on top Mt. Barrys was a delight, with 360 views of the area. The 2013 fire burned much, but the manzanita bushes are returning quickly. As we approached the ridge, there were many knob cone pine trees, whose cones need fire to release their seeds. Thus, the past fires helped propagate this tree.

The three hikers that went down to the lake were behind the rest of the group as we headed back down to the cars. It was agreed at the beginning of the hike that the first group would not wait for the lake group to return, since the last three had radios and were very seasoned hikers. One of the lake hikers (Francie) just rolled down the hill at full speed after her lunch and almost caught the first group. As she waited for the other two hikers to arrive, she watched the very aggressive deer in the area feed and to some extent, the mosquitos.

Refreshments for some of us were taken at the Boomtown Cafe, which was very busy on a Wednesday late afternoon. We all agreed it was as good hike. Thanks to all for coming.

Hike Leader: Keeley

Photos By: Dan, Jerry