We put Medford behind us at about 9:30 this morning as we headed for Crater Lake. After driving through the dense, green forests on the way to the park for about 60 miles, we started to see snow on the ground. At first, I suspected they were just isolated patches, but there turned out to be quite a bit of snow, so much so that the eastern half of the park was closed. This was disappointing, because it meant we couldn't climb Mount Scott -- the highest peak in the park -- or take the boat ride to Wizard Island. However, the disappointment didn't last long.
Crater Lake is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful sights I have ever seen. It is hard to imagine a more calming sight than an almost totally still, perfectly blue lake surrounded by snow-capped mountains and vibrant green trees.
After staring out at the lake for a little while, we had dinner at the Crater Lake Lodge. This is a quant little hotel right on the rim of the crater, with spectacular views. I'd really love to stay here one day. It's hard to imagine a more relaxing location.
Once lunch was over, we headed out for two short hikes. The first was about a 2.5 mile round trip on the Garfield Peak trail. The path to the summit was snowed over; so, after crossing one snow field on our way to a point overlooking the Phantom Ship (a rock formation rising out of the lake), we headed back to the Lodge area.
Next, we hiked over to a rocky outcropping with a beautiful view of the entire lake. We sat here for probably half an hour and I think it was probably one of the best moments of my whole life. Crater Lake more than met my expectations.After leaving the park, we decided to push for Portland, and that's where we are now. We'll be staying here tomorrow night as well and hopefully having a chance to relax after covering a lot of miles in the last two days.
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