Lake Language

“I am well again. I came to life in the cool winds and crystal waters of the mountains.” – John Muir

Driving towards South Shore Lake Tahoe on U.S. Route 50, charred trees from the Caldor Fire in 2021 that burned 221,835 acres, dotted the landscape. The winding road took us to the final climb and around the corner revealing the largest freshwater alpine lake in North America, Lake Tahoe. The sky was so dense with haze that the lake was hardly visible. It was smoke from the Mosquito Fire burning out of control just west of the lake in Placer County.  My heart sank. What would this mean for our planned outdoor adventures? And even more disturbing I could not deny the devastating effects climate change was having on the pristine beauty of the Sierra Nevada and the Tahoe Basin.

Then a miracle happened. The next day it rained. The smoke cleared and behold, there was that expansive blue diamond sparkling in the brilliant sun.

In the days that followed, my boyfriend and I hiked the Eagle Lake Trail with over 6,000 feet elevation and biked along the west shore to Tahoe City.  We walked to Fallen Leaf Lake where I laid down in the late afternoon sun on a small pebble beach.  I closed my eyes, wiped away the whirl of incessant thinking and just listened. The giggling sounds of the little white-crested waves lapping onto shore exuded a playful innocence.

The sun’s warm rays relaxed my body as I peacefully embraced lake language. Ignite my wild nature with your sensuous curves and currents. Show me how I too, like you, can have humility and trust taking the shape of whatever holds us. Can I be fluid enough to go around obstacles? Teach me how to be that promising oasis when everything around me is in a drought. 

I have no idea how much time passed when I opened my eyes, sat up and watched with glee as a pair of Australian cattle dogs jumped together into the lake and raced along the shore panting with unbridled joy.

Filled with gratitude I asked the lake, “You give so much to us humans and dogs and all the life inside and around you. So please tell me what can we give you in return?”  And the lake said, “You can give back your love, care and stewardship.”

Intention: Give back your love, care and stewardship to lakes and land and sea.

September 8, 2022 Tahoe Daily Tribune

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif.- Non-profit Clean up The Lake has launched an expansive underwater clean up in Fallen Leaf Lake revealing the Tahoe Basin’s dirtiest mile yet. Divers removed 3,000 pounds of trash and 100 tires.