Corporate Prescribed Hookie or A Look Behind the Camera Lens

Time is not on our side, friends. Every year there is a small window of opportunity to capture the Basin’s prettiest colors. Vivid greens. Beautiful blues. Reds, yellows, and purples. Spring brings cold rainy days, sometimes snow, and Summer quickly dries most of the foliage before we really have time to take in its essence. Ron Matchett, our Audio and Visual Manager, Kelly Scott, our Communications and Social Media Specialist, and I have been patiently waiting for just the right day to get out and take photos of the Basin. These photos will soon be showcased in multiple ways: Social media, corporate videos, and other marketing projects. It’s important for us to collect images of the area; it’s unique and so important to what we do here. Especially during this time of the year, the mountains and forests are breathtaking—and I can’t help but feel blessed to live in such a mystical area. Now is a great time to really capture the Basin and take advantage of its beauty.

We started early in the morning as the sun was rising. The weather was surprisingly perfect. Klamath County is infamous for its mood swings, constantly changing from dry, crisp heat to biting, shivery winds, sometimes within the hour. But, the powers that be were on our side today, and the climate and lighting was perfection for the day’s corporate field trip.

Of course, to set our day right, each of us nicked an Essentials packet from our set of “props”. Given the nutrient value of each product included in the packet (Body, Mind, Bifidus, Acidophilus, Enzymes) and the small convenient packaging, Essentials is especially easy to pack on trips—each serving is packaged separately, making it simple to share with others.

Our first stop was Hagelstein, a mountain just North of Klamath Falls that quite literally is on Highway 97. Known really only to the locals, this large bluff offers some of the best views of Upper Klamath Lake. Climbing the hill, crawling at a slow speed, the three of us got to really soak in the gorgeous mountain and its terrain. Lush wildflowers bloomed on both sides of the roads, poking out of the heavy overgrowth of bush and sage. In the background are rocky drop-offs, steep grassy slides—this is where our journey takes us.

At the top, you can see Mount Shasta to the South, McLaughlin to the West, and what used to be Mount Mazama, and is now Crater Lake National Park, to the North. Each one a namesake to New Earth’s three harvesters. Nestled in the center and spreading across the horizon is Upper Klamath Lake. It’s waters shining blue and sparkling in the new sun the morning has provided.

Although Hagelstein is just a few miles from the New Earth Headquarters, we decided to take a quick break after snapping some pictures to enjoy the view and capitalize on its properties—each taking a few Mind to reawaken our brains and spark our creative juices.

After taking a plethora of photos and footage, we made our descent and started our trek to our next stop: Running Y Resort.

Home of our annual New Earth University: Klamath Falls, Running Y sits on the south side of Upper Klamath Lake. This fair sized resort and community sits with its back to the lake. But, if you know the way, you can find yourself on the lake’s shore, enjoying the sounds of the birds and breeze moving the tall grass. This offers a special vantage point of the lake, and if you’re in the right place at the right time, you’ll be able to see one or more of New Earth’s harvesters headed out in search of New Earth’s rare payload, organic Organic Microalgae, an amazing blue green algae.

Several snap photos and one snake scare later, and we’re back in the car headed to get lunch. Our meal of choice: Mermaid Garden on Main St.

We grab our lunch to-go and make our way to Moore Park. This park also sits South of the lake and is home to several docks, playgrounds, and shady trees for people to enjoy. We park near the water’s edge, unwrap our sandwiches, and pop another packet of Essentials in our mouths. Why? All four products, but especially the Enzymes, offer optimal digestive support. And, since we’ll be off to more stops, hiking, taking photos, and kayaking, we need all the help we can get to fight that after lunch groggy-ness.

We took a couple of minutes to just enjoy the view of Klamath Lake from the park and then set off to meet up with Kelly’s sister, Kristen, at Fish Lake.

This smaller lake is just west of Lake of the Woods and offers equally enjoyable views with fewer crowds. The day was getting late and the wind had picked up, I copied Ron and grabbed my New Earth hat. This hat has been on some fun pretty adventures! My first New Earth University, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where we went to the Corkscrew Swamp, NEU: Dana Point, where we went whale watching as a group, NEU: Las Vegas, where a small group of us Home Team members took a Krav Maga lesson, and my personal adventures with my family. It’s white may not be as bright as it was at first, but it’s worn in, breathable, and perfect for the outdoors.

The sun was at the perfect angle and the wind had slowed, so we made our way back to Lake of the Woods to rent out a kayak to get some more “active” photos. The wind had grown to a steady gust by the time we pulled up to the lodge. With some brokering, we were able to grab a rental kayak to get some shots. Kelly and Kristen volunteered as tributes and made their way out onto the lake. The wind might have been blowing against them, but they did a fabulous job making it look easy!

One of the reasons Lake of the Woods is so popular and unique is because it offers a spectacular view of Mount McLaughlin. We had arrived at just the right time. And, just as the mountain had come into view, a large, tough, looking cloud got stuck on the mountaintop, like a trash bag gets stuck on a fence. It stayed there for a good 15 minutes until it was able to break free, but not without a price, by the time Kristen and Kelly made their way back to the dock, it had torn and faded into the sunset.

As we set home and the sun disappeared behind the Cascades, it didn’t feel much like a work day at all. Just a day spent having fun with friends and enjoying the ecosystem that gave us such an exceptional and significant gift, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, or as you know it organic Wild Microalgae.

Maggie Porter is the stand-in office comedian at New Earth, a Klamath Lake fan girl, and lover of exploration. Her time is spent creating memorable New Earth events and doting over Organic Wild Microalgae.