Last Monday, on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we went to Henry Coe Park, my third visit in three years, and hiked to Frog Lake.

I'm sure there are many stories and mysteries surrounding a body of water with a name like that. Fortunately, for those of you reading this, I don't know any of them. Of course, the obvious questions do arise. Who named it Frog Lake? Why not Tadpole Pool? Is frog an acronym? Did whoever name the lake have a frog fetish?

I pondered these questions as the helpful park ranger highlighted a photocopied trail map in orange to indicate the best route to and from the lake. I then paid him five dollars for parking and gave him a description of my vehicle since I couldn’t remember the license plate number. He wrote down tan ford torris. I smiled and thanked him kindly.

It’s easy to reach Frog Lake. We took the Manzanita Point Road to Monument Trail to Hobbs Road to Frog Lake Trail, a sequence less than two miles long. Monument Trail has a gradual climb and Hobbs Road has a steep, but manageable, descent. We crossed the Little Fork Coyote Creek, climbed a short ridge and arrived at the lake. Here is an excerpt from what I wrote while sitting there:

It's only in the mid to upper fifties, but feels warmer than that in the sunlight. Wisps of white clouds float across one of the bluest skies I've seen in a long while. With the exception of the birds squawking from high in the trees and the occasional buzzing of a nearby fly, it's completely quiet out here. Every so often, I feel a mild breeze. The day is lovely for sitting by a lake.

We’re alone now. There were only a few other folks here earlier. They left about thirty minutes ago. First, there was an older group of four: two men and two women. They talked and laughed loudly while resting in the shade of a tree across the lake. Next, there was a father and his three sons hiking through. They stopped to skip stones across the brown water, causing ripples in the mesmerizing reflection of green hills and leafless trees reaching out of the lake. Finally, a pair of riders paused briefly to give their horses a drink before riding on.

I can hear a woodpecker in some unseen tree and a frog from somewhere out on the lake. At least one exists, likely the token frog voted to stay behind and represent the others that left for greener lily pads. It's so relaxing out here. I could stay for hours, but we must be going.

We returned to Coe Headquarters via Flat Frog Trail and Corral Trail, trading steepness for distance and a different view. The entire loop was approximately 4.5 miles long. Looking back a week after the experience, I would say Frog Lake ranks as one of my favorite short hikes of all time.