Campfire Stories: Lake Crescent

I really enjoyed last weeks campfire story and thought I’d share some more. Trigger warning, one of the below stories does involve homicide.

While visiting Lake Crescent on our honeymoon we learned the myth of Mount Storm King. Lake Crescent and Lake Sutherland were once one lake. The local tribes were at war, angered by their fighting, the mountain threw down a landslide down upon them; thus stopping the battle by slaying the warriors on both side and splitting the lakes into two. We hiked Storm King and even though the wind was blowing and the trees were creaking as they swayed it wasn’t creepy or sinister. We did not feel any malice from this mountain.

Lake Crescent may look peaceful, but as told above, the land can be violent and so can the people. The deep blue freezing waters of the lake are beautiful but they hold secrets. The Lady of the Lake but this is no romantic or knightly Arthurian tale. A ghost haunts this idyllic scene, a woman murder by her husband and sunk in the lake. Her body preserved by the icy depths until it was fished from the water, her skin turned to wax. Now she exists as a phantom, a memory trapped in the swirling mists that drift on the water that was her grave. We did not see the spirit during our visit but the lake does have a certain feel, as if it is holding its secrets close.

This last story is my own from one of our Lake Crescent hikes. This one was one of the first trails that we explored in the area, Pyramid Peak. Rarely am I nervous or scared on hikes and this one was no different initially. We parked at the trailhead on the far side of Lake Crescent and there were a couple of other vehicles in the lot. However, we didn’t see a single person on the trail the entire time. The entire hike was beautiful and most was normal. The trail turns and continues on the far side of the mountain away from the lake.

Maybe it was the shadows and the chilly air, maybe it was the day growing older and the altitude catching up, maybe it was my concern that we wouldn’t get to the end of the trail by our turn-around time. Or maybe it was something more sinister. I had this sensation of being watched that only started once we made that turn onto the shaded side of the mountain, not as if my a deer or marmot but by something with intelligence. I kept watching the trees, not sure if I was hoping to see something or not. Even after we hit our turn-around time and headed back down the trail and back around the curve of the mountain so that the lake was in view again, it felt as though that presence follow for a while, watching us to ensure we were leaving its territory. Maybe I’m just giving myself anxiety but there are plenty of odd stories about things possibly seen in the Pacific Northwest.

If you enjoyed these stores and want to hear more, let me know in the comments. If you want to share your own please feel free to send them to me via my contact page, I’ll post them in the next Campfire Stores if appropriate along with your preferred name and blog link. Leave no trace, safe travels and stay safe near the campfire.

Thank you KW Photography for allowing me to use your wonderful photos!

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