Pam Kirk has a way of bringing natural and cultural history alive.

It’s a talent that can turn a day hike to Cove Palisades State Park into something memorable.

I joined Kirk and eight of her ”prime of life” clients on a jaunt along the shores of Lake Billy Chinook and quickly found myself in the thrall of ancient Native American rock art, volcanic cataclysm and lupine in bloom.

Prime of life is a euphemism for those 55 and over, toward whom Kirk gears her outings. But this was a disparate group not given to easy labeling. Among us was a marathon walker, a retired winery executive, an equestrienne from Terrebonne and a recent California emigre.

These are active folks of varying abilities who may not be ”young” by Gen X standards, but certainly aren’t ”old” by any stretch.

We had a blast.

The group made several stops along the loop trail from the Lower Deschutes Day-Use Area to the Upper Deschutes Day-Use Area so Kirk could describe our surroundings in her earthy yet intelligent way. Kirk pointed out the hillsides filled with arrowleaf balsamroot – their bold yellow flowers dancing in the breeze – the dramatic rimrock canyons as well as the geology that made them that way and a genuine Native American rock carving.

We also dillydallied along the trail to learn about the world’s largest juniper forest, mosses that awaken with water and the wildlife of the region. We even saw a couple of bald eagles, a golden eagle and a ferruginous hawk.

Kirk breaks her hikes down into easy, intermediate, advanced and extreme, depending on length and elevation gain. This three-miler fell into the easy category, a stop and smell the sagebrush experience.

We had a picnic lunch at the deserted Upper Deschutes Day-Use Area on the Deschutes River Arm of Lake Billy Chinook, then ambled back to where we’d started with a few well-planned stops along the way.

Kirk pointed out that, according to the latest Census, nearly 40 percent of Deschutes County residents are between the ages of 45 and 75. And Central Oregon being Central Oregon, a whole lot of those people are active and outdoorsy.

Kirk, 54, lived in Alaska for many years, where she was a mental health counselor. She moved to Redmond recently and decided to live her dream. She taught a hiking class at Central Oregon Community College and began building a client base. Many of her clients have been on several adventures with their outdoors mentor. There are several resources for active prime-of-lifers who want to get out and experience Central Oregon. Bend Metro Park and Recreation District offers hikes for seniors and COCC has classes that get people out on the trail.

”Walks, Hikes and Strolls for Mature Folks” by Marsha Johnson and Wendy Gray is also a nice softcover guide to some of the better trails in the region. It retails for $14.95.

To get to Cove Palisades State Park, drive about 15 miles north of Redmond on U.S. Highway 97 and turn left at the sign. Similar signs will lead you through the town of Culver and on to Lake Billy Chinook. A $3 Oregon State Parks day-use permit is required to park at Cove Palisades.

Contact: Pam Kirk at 504-7798 or pam@99west.com.