Water almost always makes a good destination.

On a Forest Service map, blue shapes (lakes) against a dark green backdrop (wilderness) draw a hiker’s eye like a divining rod lurching toward the ocean.

Wet is where it’s at.

Especially during these dog days of summer, when the High Desert is roasting and the high country beckons like a shaved ice stand in Death Valley.

As they say in Hawaii, lucky we live Central Oregon.

One need only look as far as the Cascades on our western doorstep to find mountains and lakes of just about every description. That’s a cool combination.

Scott Lake is a 26-acre body of water about 22 miles west of Sisters on the far side of the McKenzie Pass. Campsites and picnic tables are scattered along the lake. With a gorgeous up-close view of more than one high Cascade peak, Scott Lake makes a wonderful destination in itself. Park the car, break out the fried chicken and drink in the scenery. The cool breeze alone is worth the trip.

If you feel like stretching your legs and walking off the mashed potatoes, try the three-mile roundtrip to Benson Lake. From the trailhead at Scott Lake, take Trail 3502, which winds northwesterly through a dense forest of firs, blooming bear grass and wildflowers (the growing season is short up here; the flora has to get while the getting is

gettable). Benson Lake is inside the Mount Washington Wilderness Area at about 5,300 feet. According to Jeff Morgan, author of ”An Angler’s Guide to the Oregon Cascades,” Benson Lake is 25 acres, about 55 feet at the deepest point and a decent place to catch rainbow and brook trout, providing you haul a float tube along the trail with you.

It’s also a good place to grab a rock and rest up a little before heading back the way you came. Be warned though: With snow melting off at a rapid clip, there are half a gazillion mosquitoes just about everywhere you go in the high country right now. Eat garlic, slather on the Avon Skin So Soft, wear a body net or whatever it is you do to keep the blood suckers at bay.

If you really feel like hiking and just can’t stand not knowing what’s up around the next bend, you can continue on Trail 3502 to Tenas Lakes, a seven-mile roundtrip from the trailhead.

It’s a beautiful and shady climb to the three little (one-to-three acre) lakes at the base of Scott Mountain.

It can also be a bit baffling what with snow drifts still covering the trail in places. I lost the trail completely at a couple of spots and had to do some head scratching and boot track-following to find the path again. If you’re not confident in your ability to stay found in an unfamiliar area, wait a couple of weeks until the snow has completely melted off to try this part of the hike.

There’s also quite a bit of blowdown between Benson Lake and Tenas Lakes, but nothing that a little high-stepping can’t cut down to size.

Less than a quarter mile from the first lake, a sign will direct you to veer left. Continuing straight takes you to 6,116-foot Scott Mountain.

The lakes, literally a stone’s throw from one another, are said to contain rainbow, cutthroat and brook trout and are as ruggedly pretty as can be.

The footprints I followed belonged to the Benedikt and Fielding families of Bend, who picked the trail to indoctrinate their children into the joys of backpacking. We discussed rogue bears, Alaska and the specific gravity of tungsten carbide (I’m not joking) as the kids cooled off in the first lake. You meet the nicest people Out There.

After exploring the other lakes, I reluctantly left the two clans lakeside and headed back toward Benson and Scott, careful to heed the markers I’d left to remind me which way to turn when the trail got sketchy.

By the time I got back to the car, the Fieldings and Benedikts were probably pitching their tents, cooking up some hearty camp fare and whacking mosquitoes.

I envied them.