We forgot to mention this in last night's blog, but we actually wound up camping next to another Volkswagen Vanagan, white and perhaps a little newer than Wendel. At night, they had strung up lights from the van to a few surrounding trees and their interior lights were blue making for a very funky vibe. We were super nerdy-excited and flashed peace signs when breaking camp this morning. It's cool to be in the club.
Before heading out, Stu took another dip in the river surrounding the campground, while I just ducked my head in. It was colder than Whatum, but I think he's really getting a taste for these early morning dips.
Today was all about one thing: Crater Lake. Even knowing it would be more touristy than most of the stops on our trip, we couldn't resist that sapphirine gem on the national park crown, and our willingness was rewarded when our money was turned away at the entry point- FREE NATIONAL PARKS DAY! It's like we planned it, but we didn't! I swear!
The lake lies in the hollowed out center of what was once a high Cascade, and Wendel's sedate pace allowed us to take in the sweeping views as he slowly worked his way up the slope. At the crest, we were immediately confronted by a large parking area, so we parked and hopped out for our first look at the lake.
Crater lake is so extremely, deeply blue that your mind almost doesn't register it as separate from the skies. And it's a different blue than Whatum which was more turquoise, or the blue pool that was almost otherworldly in it's glow, but more the deep true rich color of something pure and fathomless. Since it lies in a crater, the view is enhanced by sheer cliffs that race to the shoreline, offsetting it from waders and swimmers, as a thing removed in it's perfection.
In the center lies wizards island, which houses the center of the volcano that once was, according to the informative plaques and boards sprinkled around our route. Essentially, Crater Lake was once Mount Mazama, a huge volcano constructed similarly to the rest of the High Cascades. Then, one day, the gods got angry and Mount Mazama erupted in spectacular fashion. So much so, in fact, that it basically blew itself up and imploded, creating Crater Lake in its place.
The national park itself is set up similar to a loop in Yellowstone: a single, main circular road with a bunch of dramatic overlooks and little half-mile sightseeing loop trails. We stopped A LOT in order to see as much as we could (even though many of the stops were just different vantages on the lake itself).
First up was the Watchtower, a National Park Service fire lookout perched on one of the high peaks surrounding the lake. A quick hike up put us in the perch, which offered the best view we got of the lake as a whole all day. After that we hit the little lakeside village to grab lunch (at captive audience prices), and continued on to the Sun Notch and the Phantom Ship.
The Sun Notch wasn't particularly special except that it overlooked Chasky Bay, which we instantly felt an affinity with thanks to our Peru trek last year. It also gave the first glimpses of the Phantom Ship, a small (by Crater Lake's immense standards) island outcropping notable because of its jagged shape and interesting geology. It is, apparently, the sole survivor of the Mount Mazama collapse, making it the oldest feature of the lake by a good margin. I thought it looked like Hogwarts, which would be more on-theme with wizard island anyway, so they should probably just hit JK Rowling up for use rights.
The last major feature was the Pinnacles, which required a 6-mile detour off of the main loop. The Pinnacles were formed as volcanic gasses bubbled up to the surface and became trapped in ash. The resultant spires are aptly named, spiking out of the cliff faces dramatically and forming a Star Wars-esque landscape.
On our way out, we trundled Wendel up to Cloud Top to get one last look at the lake, then headed north out of the park to Clearwater Falls, a campsite close to the Hot Springs we plan to explore tomorrow. We made camp, showing off Wendel to some exuberant neighbors, and then explored the falls for which the campsite was named.
Not so profound as Multnomah, Clearwater Falls splashed merrily down a pile of lava, covered in acid green moss and haphazardly fallen trees. The water was extremely clear (we had to check!) As well as extremely cold. Stuart balked at another morning plunge, especially bin the light of a warm dip at the hot springs. Then we settled in for the night with the sound of crashing water in the near distance, watching the bonfire crackle and sipping the last of the wine from Hood River and some obnoxiously spicy cheese from Sisters.
Good Night from Clearwater Falls.
Stu and Chelsea
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