| Date: August 16-17, 2002 | | Location Jeff Park Backpack | | Where: Mt Jefferson Wilderness | This was a quick one-night trip to one of our favorites, Jeff Park. Leaving Salem at 2:00 Friday afternoon, put us at the Whitewater Trailhead at 4:00 and to Russell Lake some time after 7:00. With the designated campsites taken, we retreated over 250 ft south of the lake to make a NO TRACE campsite. Active mosquitoes forced us to put up our tent first, and then enjoy our burrito dinner in leisure inside the tent. Because of the weather the rain fly was not needed so as we lay in our sleeping bags we gazed through the tent netting at Mt Jefferson while the moon began its climb over the summit. Water from the melting glaciers cascading down the steep mountainside sounded quite like the ocean as it lulled us to sleep.
|  | | The moon climbing over Mt Jefferson For us, to be in Jeff Park is to give substenance to the word "paradise". Trails wind across the park floor carpeted with grass and heather, bright alpine flowers of every color catch your eye, and over it all towers the majestic Mt Jefferson, almost close enough to touch. |  | | Morning in Jeff Park After coffee and granola we spent the morning photographing flowers, and fishing;--first Russell Lake then on to Park, Rock, Bays and Scout. It was hard to leave this paradise and hike the trail out. We arrive back at the car at 4:00, 24 hours in paradise.
|  | | Jim casting for trout at Russell Lake with Park Butte in the background |
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