08/27/06 - Lake Angeles is for Swimming - Who Knew?

We had an amazing new experience up at Lake Angeles. We went swimming. We've been climbing the two thousand feet and then some to Lake Angeles for over five years, and each time we would get to the lake, climb the rock that sort of looks like the one that Psyche sits on in the old Schweppes logo and then turn around and march back down. This time, we noticed something different. There were people out in a canoe on the lake. We had seen tents and other hikers and even campers up at Lake Angeles before, but never anyone on the lake. We decided to wander around a bit longer, and while we wandered south from Psyche Rock, trying to keep close to the lake, one of the canoers, dressed for swimmng, told us something we had never realized. There is an easy way to get into the lake for swimming, or canoeing. A bit past the southernmost campsite, there is a path to the lake where the lake bottom is not all sloggy and muddy, and that this is the best place to get into the water. We had to try it. Indeed, the lake bottom was not sloggy or muddy, though the little stones underfoot made us wish we had packed our dive socks. Still, we were soon sloshing around in the lake, enjoying the fantastic views of the mountain wall that surrounds much of this body of water. In late August, the water was brisk and cold, but no longer frigid. It was totally refreshing, and the aches and pains of our ascent quickly vanished in the cold water. Already, we are planning our return trip, with dive socks and a towel, and hoping the weather holds so we can take another high country swim.

Keywords: lake angeles, high country