Bluest Lake
As soon as I stepped outside, I could feel the heat from the sun on my face and I automatically knew that it was time to head to the lake for the summer. We all got packed up and loaded our bags into the back of my mom’s old blue car. At the start of every summer me, my sister, mom, grandma, and aunt would pack our bags and drive through the windy roads and blue mountains until we reached Wallowa Lake.
Just like every summer before, we would wake up bright and early in the morning at 6:00 a.m. and drive three and a half hours just to get to the lake. This summer started off like normal we drove throughout all the tiny towns on the way and up and down the windy roads. Then as soon as we reached the parking lot by the lake, we would park the car and run down the rough old trail that has tree branches growing out of it. On the way to the water, we would pass by many trees and greenery all around until we got to the clear blue lake.
It was the summer of 2008; we all packed the car and took off to the lake, as the sound of old country music echoed into the background. That was the first day out of the year that I felt free, I rolled the window down and just let my hand move with the light gentle morning breeze. As the air hit my face all I could think was how happy I was to be spending time with my family that I didn’t get to see very often.
The scenery was like nothing I ever saw living in Idaho, I would just stare at the beautiful blue mountains surrounded by water as we drove down the highway. Even though I was used to the drive by then it still felt all new to me. Every tree, mountain, and every smell felt like it was the first time that I had ever experienced those things. I never felt more alive during the summertime when I was in Wallowa Lake. Being able to see all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins that lived there kept bringing us back every summer. It was the place where I felt like I was the most comfortable and most loved as all of their smiles filled the air.
As soon as we all got to the lake, we knew it was time to get into the clear blue water. As we were walking there, I could feel the pebbles hurting my bare feet. I stepped both of my feet into the water at the same time and it sent chills down both of my arms because the water was a lot colder than I had anticipated. We all got soaked in the water from head to toe. As I just swam around, I stopped to take a deep breath in and just admire the water and mountains around me. Just being there at the lake made my heart fill with joy because it was my favorite place to be and being able to spend time with my favorite people was the most important thing to me. The entire day filled me with emotion as I took in everything around me. After a couple of hours went by the sun started to go down and we knew it was time to head to the cabin for the night.
Even though we did the same thing at the start of every summer this summer felt way different in many ways. The entire day was filled with so much joy that for a few hours it completely skipped my mind that things would never be the same. It never set in for me that playing in the water, spending the summer with my family, and seeing the lake was going to be the last time for a while. The rest of my family was growing up and would no longer have the time to spend time with me and a grey cloud started to cover the day, but I still admired my family with my whole heart. I was just emotional that I couldn’t spend every summer in the future with them. They were so brave going off to fight fires and join the military that even though I was sad it seemed a little selfish of me. After that summer everything just wasn’t the same anymore, but I ignored those feelings and lived the rest of my time there to the fullest, with laughter and joy.
That was it; the summer that I would always remember for the rest of my life. My heart was so filled with joy, but at the same time, I was sad. The sun shined down on my face as I just stood there and watched over the lake for the last time for a long time.
