Crater Lake Day One

1 August 2010
Sunday

The burbling river kept us in dream mode for a long time. Such a tranquil place. After breakfast we hiked to the other end of the campground and discovered a trail that went along the Rogue River. Our curiosity got the better of us and we followed it. It led us on a great hike along the river to a variety of thrilling sights including waterfalls, chasms and gorges. Every stop was another great picture.

Then it was time to head back into the Park to find our campsite for the next two nights. We have an isolated spot close to amenities like the washroom and water and trash. Once we got oriented we decided to do the Rim Drive. We bought the Road Guide to Crater Lake National Park [like a local version of the Milepost] and started out.

The first stop was Rim Village where we got our very first view of the Lake. Hard to describe the BLUE of it. An amazing feat of Nature, to be sure. Discovery Point showed us the view as its discoverer first saw it. If he was as impressed as we were, it must have taken him days to recover. We got a good look at Wizard Island, a volcano within the volcano and so named because it looks like a sorcerer's hat. With binoculars we could see people hiking to the crater on the island.

Along the way we discovered other volcanoes in the line that forms the Cascades, from Mount Shasta in California to Mt. St. Helens in Washington. Almost too much to absorb at one time. Up and down and in and out we go getting close to the rim of the crater and then further away. There are areas where little to nothing is growing due to the deep layer of volcanic ash left when Mazama Mountain erupted over 7700 years ago. It blew harder than Mt. St. Helens and then collapsed in on itself to form the Lake.

At Cloudcap Overlook we met a family from Caledonia, MN, here for a wedding. What a small world.

A few more sites and stops and we are worn out. Things like the Pumice Castle, the Phantom Ship, Vidae Falls and Mount Scott kept us enthralled. By the time we returned to camp we were ready for supper and sleep. We were even too tired for the RangerTalk.