Photo Blog- 2 Crater Lake and Mount Hood, Oregon

In September this year we took the kids for their first time to Crater Lake. This was our third trip to this lake. There is something about this lake that makes you forget things like, Time or space. It has a very quiet but aware quality to it. It has the deepest blue colour I have ever seen. This is a lake that has formed in the caldera of a volcanic eruption. The State of Oregon has two ranges of mountains- the Cascade Range and the Coast Range. They both run in the North-south directions. The Cascades, have the highest mountains in the state. It has about 9 snow-capped peaks above 9000ft. The Highest is Mount Hood. It is a dormant volcano that hasn't erupted since 1865. The most recent eruption on the Cascade Range is Mt. St. Helens, which is in the state of Washington(north of Oregon), in 1980.

This is Mount Hood taken from an Aircraft as we were heading from Portland, OR to San Francisco, CA.

This is Up close and Personal. Taken standing on Mount Hood at the Timberline Ski Resort. The first time we went up to this Mountain, I was in total awe. The views along the way was literally to die for. Every Tree was laced with snow and I understood why the phrase Winter Wonderland came about.

This mountain is seen from some roads in the city's of Beaverton, Tigard and Portland. Everyday is a different view. On some days it has fog and is visible through the haze almost like a Giant looking down on us. On other days the clouds cover part of its tip like its wearing a muffler or shawl. In the winters, the snow-clad peak wears a pinafore of pink hue in the evening sun. Its beautiful to look at it while on a drive.

There are many natural lakes in Oregon. The most famous one is the Crater Lake. It is considered as one of the Natural wonders. It is the deepest lake in the USA. About 5000 ft of Mount Mazama's Peak is said to have collapsed after a volcanic eruption some 7700 years ago. The lava flow caused cones to form within the caldera forming peaks inside in the caldera. One of these peaks is the Wizard Island. The basin(caldera) filled up with rainwater and snow-melts, forming the present Lake. It is said to have the purest waters since there is no inlet of water into it or out of it for pollutants to get in. The lake is about 6 miles wide. The lake has rarely frozen completely. The last record of a complete freeze was in 1949.


Panoramic shot of Crater Lake from the Crater Lake Lodge. The land in the middle is the Wizard Island, formed from the lava that flowed inside the caldera to form Cinder cones. This was during our first visit sometime in 1997. We hiked the trail to the boatride in the Lake. Going down to the lake was easy, coming back wasnt so. I was breathless, the elevation makes it difficult to breathe if you already have hassles breathing. Lessons learned, never go without water or some form of nutrition(trailmix or some granola bar), and never without a sunscreen. I suffered my first Sunburn. The Irony, I never burned when I was living in the Tropical country(India), I had to come to the US to have a sunburn(still giggling about it). The Boat ride was an experience I wouldnt forget. Everyone in the boat were so quiet as to not disturb the quiet in the lake. The Guide explained for a few minutes the history of this lake and how clean the water was because there was on inlet into or out of the lake. There was a tree stump in the lake that peeped out. Considering the fact that this is the deepest lake in the USA, it made me wonder how tall the tree was? It was a lesson is humility, respect for nature and pure joy. You can see Lichens growing on rocks. We got to see a Bald eagle(listed as an endangered and so a protected species in Oregon) sitting atop Phantom Ship, a rock formation within the lake that looks like a Ship. It definitely made our day. According to the Guide, who worked there for over 3 years, it is rare to see bald eagles in this area.

This is the picture of that Tree Stump.

The Phantom Ship as seen on the Lake.

The Phantom ship as viewed from the Rim.

It was almost voyeuristic, as we walked up a trail to get in between trees, and peep to see this formation. Felt like we were intruding.

The Indians (Native Americans, there are four different peoples, the Klamath, the Molala, the Umpqua and the Takelma) living in the area revere this mountain and the lake. They have legends associated with this area. There never spoke of this place to the Caucasian settlers, because it was sacred. In 1853, three miners, John Wesley Hillman, Henry Klippel, and Issac Skeeters stumbled on the lake.. They called in Deep Blue Lake for its deep turquoise hue. In 1870, William Gladstone Steel surveyed the area in an effort to make it into a national park. With his and his group's effort and lobbying, Crater Lake National Park was established May 22, 1902 by President Theodore Roosevelt.

The Road along the Rim offers spectacular views. There is a lodge at Crater Lake. Biking is allowed along the rim and some trails. There are over 90 miles of hiking trails and Two Camp Grounds in the Park. The Park is open spring through summer. Smoking is not allowed on any trail, so you actually get to breathe FRESH air, although breathing at that elevation is difficult for some.

Here are some pictures of the view from the Rim.

Note the Deep Blue Hue? The Photo does very little justice to the colour we actually see.

Reflection.. in some areas we cant make out where the sky ends and the lake begins, its a very humbling experience. Make you feel like you are such a itty bitty piece of the huge puzzle that makes the Universe.

The view of the Mountains surrounding the Lake, as viewed from the rim.

The view of the Lake from the other side of the crater Lake lodge.

On one of the Trails we saw this tree skeleton. Thought it made an interesting shape.

Another view of the mountains from the rim

The four of us at the rim.

That brings me to the end of this Photo blog. Have fun Browsing