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Lake Aldwell, WA

11/24/07

I'd driven past it hundreds of times but never taken the time to see it up close, with a paddle in my hand. Now, with the removal of the dams on the Elwha River just a few months away, I figured I'd better go for a look before it was gone forever. (In 2008, the dam that created this lake and the lake above it, Lake Mills, are scheduled to be taken down in an effort to restore the historic Elwha salmon runs that were once among the largest on the west coast.) Lake Aldwell lies just west of Port Angeles and immediately north of Highway 101.

My companions for the day were Mary and Micah (the Campbell fam-damily), and we took a canoe to facilitate the kid mostly, but it also seemed like the right vehicle for a short sojourn on fresh water. A light rain came and went several times as we set out from shore, the water slick and still, disturbed only by the scattered drops and the dip of my paddle. Logs floated in rafts at a few points near the south end of the lake, giant trunks that had fallen years, maybe decades before.

A few small flocks of ducks wheeled up from the water as we approached the neck, a narrow spot in the middle of the lake where the sides come close together before separating again. With the smallest member of the crew voicing his desire to return to port, we reluctantly turned around and headed back along the western shore. A pair of bald eagles conversed in squeals and screeches at the top of a tall alder to the north, and Micah turned to see where the strange noises were coming from.

We got back to the put-in without incident under threatening skies. I don't know if I'll get the chance to come back here again, and I am personally quite pleased with the decision to remove the dams, but it was good to get here once. It's a beautiful and placid lake and I will remember it fondly.

Ken Campbell