A pika having a snack at the water’s edge. One of the Park Rangers was very jealous when she saw this photo as she hadn’t seen a pika all season.
Author / canddaway
Trail to the water
1.1miles and a 700ft descent down Cleetwood Cove Trail took me to the drinkable, clear water of Crater Lake, slurp!
Good to touch the water after seeing it’s beauty from afar.
Dawn over Crater Lake
Woke before dawn and drove 30 minutes through black forest (saw no bears – very disappointed) to the crater rim. Over the next hour the lake turned from black through grey, pink, orange, yellow to white and settled a bluey-grey colour. The deep blue returned as the clouds blew away.
Dawn gifting colour
wakened our souls to the day.
This life is precious.
On the trail
Took a walk up Garfield Peak Trail. It was narrow, dropping steeply away down the south side of the mountain to the plain below.
This feels like adventure!
Phantom ship
The Phantom Ship, the remaining section of a rock pillar formed by lava, resembles a ghost ship on misty days or low light. The tallest spire reaches 170 feet, about the height of a fourteen story building.
Blue day
A day on the rim; stunning views and quiet stillness. As the light changed hour by hour there was always a sense of something new to witness of beauty.
A wonder full experience.
Stillness transforms
Spotted this Golden – Mantled Ground Squirrel sitting and looking into the blue.
I decided to do the same – but with coffee, naturally.
Deep blue lake
The first sight of Crater a Lake was almost overwhelming.
7,700 years ago Mount Mazama, a 12,000 foot volcano in the Cascade Mountain Range, erupted and collapsed in on itself. A caldera ( large crater ) nearly 2,000 feet deep was formed. Over time the 6 mile by 4 mile wide caldera filled with snow melt. It is one of the world’s clearest lakes, it’s purity rendering it deep blue in colour.
It is a beautiful sight that creates a stillness in the soul.
Do trees feel?
Walked through forest at the High Desert Museum, just south of Bend and began to recognise some of the trees we had been seeing since we arrived in Oregon. The Ponderosa Pine is a favourite. It grows a thick bark which withstands the natural fires that wipe out much of the flora including other trees.
In the car heading south we found ourselves discussing how a living organism like a tree might feel!
Elk Lake
Took the road W-SW of Bend down to the Cascade Lakes. We would have loved to paddle the wilder Sparks Lake but as you needed your own canoe, and we didn’t pack ours, we drove on to Elk Lake and rented one there. At almost 4,900 feet the lake affords a wonderful view of Mount Bachelor.
In our element!
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