Waldo Lake is about 32 miles east of the Oakridge Hostel.  On a beautiful fall afternoon we took the lake shore trail [3590] at the north end.   The first 1/4 mile took us through a dense forest with the delicious smells of pine and fir trees.  The well maintained trail soon opened into a charred landscape from the 1996 fire.   The rebirth of this forest is underway, new pines, firs, and hemlocks, are thriving throughout the landscape.  The huckleberries were scarce, but the foliage was a flaming red.  Where once it would have been impossible to view Waldo Lake from the trail, one could now easily see the water through the weathered and now silvered snags.  There were many small ponds and bogs near the trail, likely the breeding grounds for Waldo’s infamous mosquitoes, apparently gone for the season.  Fall is absolutely the best time of year to visit Waldo Lake if you want to avoid those pesky insects.  We gained a little elevation while walking toward Upper Rigdon Lake and noticed more small ponds and an increase in bird activity.  On this day there was light trail use by hikers and mountain bikers.

Ciao, Gary