Lake Otagahee - The Lake of the Wounded

No man or hunter has ever seen Lake Otagahee. It is a lake high in the hills where the animals go to be healed. People have walked the winding paths, they have stepped between trees to find this purple lake that is Otagahee. Through the mist they have heard the wings of water birds and the thunder of falls, but no one has ever reached it's shore.

Some speak of visions they have had; of springs that feed the lake, of the bear who is the great healer for he has crawled into one side of the lake wounded and come out the other whole. But their visions vanish quickly, for the animals keep Lake Otagahee invisible to man.

Some say this lake is dried up now. Man has inhabited the valleys and hills and the lake can no longer survive. But there are some who still believe that this lake of purple water still lies hidden high in the mountains and it is there that the animals still roam and are well.

The Indian legend of Otagahee was an appropriate one for the campfire this evening. Tonights topic was "Where will it all be tomorrow?" We are at Sol Duc in Olympic National Park. where every night the ranger's put on campfire programs designed to entertain and educate the visitors. Tonight we learned about endangered species, the environment and how man has affected the ecosystems of this park and the world. This was only one of the several National Park programs we have attended . At Glacier National Park we learned through a slide presentation how to identify raptors and afterwards were given a how-to on owl calls. (I wasn't very good. I doubt I will be attracting any owl mates on this trip.) Also at that park we listened to a Blackfoot Indian give a talk on how the ways of his tribe have changed in the time since part of his land was declared a National park. At Fort Lincoln State Park in North Dakota, we attended a fascinating presentation on the daily life of the U.S. Infantry. All of these programs teach the value of our land and how we can help preserve what is left of our wilderness. Perhaps it is in these parks that Lake Otagahee still exists.