The quiet pool of clear, blue-green water glimmered in the dim sunlight. It looked, on that overcast day, like a bright, colorized subject in a black and white photograph. A log and some rocks could be seen at the bottom, making it look deceptively shallow.
I found myself looking down at this beautiful pool after a two and a half mile hike through a magical forest. There was such color and intricate growth that it was hard to know where to look.
Here there is a miniscule waterfall that looks like a tiny fairy glenn. Ahead there is a path that looks like an obstacle course, winding among tall, wide trees and giant rocks.
Everywhere there is moss hanging off the skinny “tarantula” trees and mold of different colors painting trees in various stages of decay. The new, bright green growth emphasizing the brilliant orange of the oldest fallen giants.
Felled trees, covered in green, litter the hillsides and float in the river. Tiny, moss-covered rock “islands” dot the surface of the swiftly-moving water. Nature almost unbearably stimulates the senses.
As the path begins to rise in elevation it changes. The trees are less dense and the path has less roots and more rocks. It is a steady up and down over little rock staircases; not as tiring as a straight incline but able to make you feel warm. More attention must be paid to footing and the anticipation to reach the blue pool is real.
The sight of that pool, when you reach it, is breathtaking. You want to go down to its shore and touch it. The rushing water that pours in from the lava tubes can be seen on the left, as well as the outgoing surge of water into the rapidly-flowing river on the right.
But the pool remains still, with only the faintest ripple.
The water is said to be 35 feet deep in the center and as deep as 70 feet at the base of the former waterfall. People are warned not to jump in from the waterfall ledge.
The deep plunge into frigid water has caused fatalities. Even in the cold, early Spring afternoon, I could feel the pull of that still, mesmerizing body of water and I imagine it would be twice as strong on a hot summer day. Just make sure if you leap, that you can make a speedy exit because that water is Very cold!
The Tamolitch Blue Pool trailhead is located 60 miles west of Bend, Oregon, along Highway 126, or 68 miles east of Eugene.
For more information you can visit the Willamette National Forest website
or the Tamolitch Blue Pool Facebook page
