Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Today we went to Crater Lake National Park. This is one of the stops on this trip that I was really looking forward to. I had been here when I was a kid and all I could remember was how blue the water was, a very deep blue that made it look almost unreal.

Imagine my disappointment when we got there this morning and there is a haze hanging over the water so that we could hardly see the water. The haze is from all the wild fires. Last week there were dry (no rain) thunder storms with severe lightening. There were something like 24 different fires started by lightning strikes, most of these were put out quickly, but some grew and combined. Currently there are at least 4 major fires to the west of Crater Lake and one major fire to the east of the park. So, there isn’t much chance of the haze going away anytime soon, unless there is a really strong breeze and all of the fires are put out. Not much chance of that happening in the short time we will be here.

We went ahead and drove the rim road around the lake, since we were there. Fortunately, there was more to see than the blue of the water.  First, a short, quick history on Crater Lake.

Mount Mazama, which stood about 12,000’, is the mountain in which Crater Lake lays. Mt Mazama is part of the Cascade Range of volcanoes that were formed over 400,000 years ago, and shaped by lava flow, glacier ice and earthquakes. All of this change is evident when you look at the different kinds of layers and rock just in this one mountain. Approximately 7,700 years ago this volcano vented and oozed lava out of several places, causing the crown of the mountain to collapse in on itself. The result is Crater Lake, formed by many years of rain and snow melt (over 44’ annually). There are no underground streams feeding this lake, so there is very little sediment, it is also very deep (1948’) and that is what gives it the deep blue color.

The 33 mile rim drive has many pullouts and viewpoints and at each there is a new and different view of the lake and the sweeping curve of the rim wall (caldera). I found it fascinating that there were so many different kinds of rock,

large boulders;

small pumice stones the size and shape of popcorn,

and ragged peaks. Highlights of the Rim Drive were things like Vidae Falls.

There were several falls on the drive, but Vidae Falls was right on the road, didn’t require a hike. The Pinnacles

are not on the rim of the lake, but they are a result of the volcano blow. They are formed from volcanic ash sculpted by erosion. Pumice Castle is a narrow tower of reddish rock on the eastern caldera wall. It is another effect of erosion.

In the lake itself is an island of craggy rock that has eroded into spires that make it look like a Phantom Ship at full sail.

Everywhere we have been we have seen the effects of the pine beetle on the forests.

Crater Lake has also been affected. The biggest problem this causes, besides unsightliness, is that our forests are becoming stands of dead trees, just waiting for a lightning strike or careless match; wildfires waiting for a chance to happen. As far as I know, there is no defense against these beetles, no pesticide, and no way to protect our trees. This is frightening, our trees are crucial to our survival, to the air we breathe. Sound like a tree hugger uh? Well, I sort of am!!  

We stopped at the visitor’s center at the south entrance (we started at the north entrance), I got my park passport book stamped and we had lunch at the cafeteria. While we were wandering through the gift shop later I noticed a fire fighting team from Illinois, they had been here fighting some of the fires and were getting ready to go home. We thanked them for their service and they seemed surprised that we would. We try to make it a habit to thank all police, fire and military people for their service. It’s the right thing to do.

By the time we made it all the way around the rim, the haze had lifted a little around the edges and we could see a little of the blue water. In spite of the haze on the water, it was a good day and we saw some amazing sites.