When my wife and I decided to take a Friday off together a few weeks ago, we opted for our go-to date: a hike. That activity “dates” back to when Catherine and I met working as “roomsworkers” at a hotel at Denali National Park 29 years ago. We were on the same cleaning team and thus had the same days off. We bonded during long hikes together. Marriage and three kids later, hiking is still the most bonding, cost-effective, mental and emotional reset button we can get this side of a vacation.

Fortunately, hiking options abound in Central Oregon, where many head for their own vacations — so much so that the difficult part is, for me, deciding where to go. My first thought was Peter Skene Ogden Trail, which parallels Paulina Creek. We could take the trail from McKay Crossing Campground up to the sliding rocks, past Paulina Falls and on to the Paulina Lake Lodge for a meal (Paulina Creek flows out of the lake).

Then I realized that would be 6 miles each way, the first half uphill toward the lake. Though there’s also chilly water in which one could take a respite, 12 miles on foot? My dogs would be barking for sure.

Then another nearby trail hiding in plain sight caught my eye: The 7.5-mile Paulina Lake Loop. In our 20.5 years of living here, many hikes taken, had we really never ventured beyond the hot springs on the north side of the lake? This was a wrong that would soon be put right.

Well, “soon” as in our arrival, not necessarily our pace. According to alltrails.com, on average, folks complete the loop in just a few ticks over 2½ hours. Impressive! Were these people running, speedwalking or otherwise in a hurry? We sure weren’t, but we knew we wanted to take our dear, sweet time.

When we arrived, it was already pushing noon. We took the advice of a ranger, parking near the visitor center and setting out on the trail counterclockwise. We were a bit puzzled as to why she said we’d get the best views that way, but I’m a follow-the-expert-advice kind of guy.

I was glad we did. The southern shore is lovely in its own way, forested with firs and home to three campgrounds. We passed other hikers and kids looking for places to float and groups of families fishing from shore — all of which you’d expect to see on a warm summer day at a lake in a national monument.

Given our late start, I was glad we’d brought some snacks because our lodge lunch was starting to look more like it was going to be dinner. We stopped at a picnic table at an empty campsite in the last of the campgrounds. Before long we were on the eastern shore of the lake, roughly halfway around. I love this part of the lake, the one with which I was most familiar, as it’s the closest place to park to reach the hot springs on the west shore of the lake. There’s just something about the water-worn lava rock and aquamarine waters, and the views of Paulina Peak are just getting started.

As we neared the springs, we passed more groups and families heading clockwise back toward campgrounds and day-use parking. The springs are actually little human-made pools people dig in the shore so the scalding hot water can commingle with the cold lake water. Plenty has been written about them elsewhere.

We stopped by for a peek but didn’t linger, a decision I felt good about when a man standing near one of the DIY tubs helpfully explained, “It’s a hot spring,” as a sign 1/10th of a mile ago had foretold.

We continued on, the trail rising higher and farther from the lakeshore as it skirted above the cinder red cliff on the north side of the lake. Here were some of the best views of Paulina Peak we’d seen all day, and it was worth the wait.

We found a log on which to perch and take it in, enjoying the longest stretch of solitude we’d had all day. As the trail descended the hillside, we eventually came to an inviting cove and beach, occupied only by two very cute ducks, joined by us for a few minutes while I waded in and Catherine lazed on the lakeshore.

We were most of the way around the lake but still had a mile or two to go, and enjoyed the shady, more densely forested remainder of the hike. Before cabins and other buildings of the lodge came into view and we headed inside for lunch.

I won’t lie: I was pretty beat by the end of the hike, but the burgers and fries we ordered at the lodge were restorative. Adding to the full circle feeling, we were seated beneath an article I wrote about dining here in 2003. On the way out, we parked and took in Paulina Falls from the viewing area up top. It’s a better sight from below, but we left that hike for another date.