Today we finally got to hike down to Crater Lake and spend the day on the tour boats! The interpretive staff along with some other administrative staff boarded the “Umpqua” one of the boats named for a nearby river. We took a two-hour tour given by Ranger Matt, stopping at about 8 places to learn about different formations on the lake. These were all things we’ve learned about already, and places we’d seen from the rim, but being down on the lake and looking up at most of them was pretty amazing and certainly a totally new experience. Just the thought that we were inside of a volcano was mind-blowing. At one point, I even got a little misty-eyed as I thought about how lucky I was to be in such a beautiful and unique area. While some people are working in a cubicle, I am here looking at some of the most awe-inspiring natural wonders. (Maybe I was also a little teary from all the sunscreen I put on today too!) But I am certainly trying to enjoy every moment for what it is and take it all in with a lot of gratitude.
The photo below shows the docks and boat houses on Wizard Island where we will be spending some time tomorrow.
This photo shows Chaski Falls. The water here is more turquoise than Crater Lake Blue because of its more shallow depths.
This feature is the Phantom Ship Island. From the rim it looks so small and often times you can’t see it (that’s why it’s a phantom), but it is actually the size of a 15-story building! Very cool to see up close.
After the tour we ate lunch in Cleetwood Cove near the boat docks. Ranger Emily made everyone chocolate chip cookies which really hit the spot! After lunch, we boarded again, this time to learn about different emergency situations, like “man overboard” and what to do if there’s a fire on board. Captain Rich was our driver and teacher today, and it’s safe to say we’re in good hands as he has given over 5,000 tours of the lake! He’s the most senior captain we have, so it was a lot of fun learning from him. Each of us even took a turn docking the 40-foot boat, just in case something ever happened to a captain and we had to get everyone back to the dock on our own. That was really nerve-wracking but was a cool experience.
We ended up working 2 extra hours today to fit in all of our training, and at the end, we all had to hike up the Cleetwood trail to get out of the caldera. The Cleetwood trail is only about a mile, but it goes up over 1,000 feet in elevation gain. The rangers have a joke that it’s one mile down, and 10 going up! The longest switch-back is nicknamed “Heart Attack Hill” and walking it regularly to get to our boat tours is known as the Cleetwood Diet. Needless to say, after a really long day, I wasn’t looking forward to hiking this trail for the first time. I was huffing and puffing pretty hard, but it went faster than I expected and I made it up the trail in 25 minutes. Not bad for my first time. I figure it can only get easier from here.
I drove home with Ranger Emily, whose brain I picked for some other Oregon hot spots I should check out while I’m here. She’s an avid hiker so I definitely took note of her suggestions. Tomorrow we will be back on the lake with our geologist Tom and we also get to spend a couple of hours exploring Wizard Island, the cinder cone that rises up in the middle of Crater Lake. I can’t wait to hike to the top to see the crater at its peak!
Well, it’s been a long day and we’ll be back at it tomorrow, so I’ll be heading to bed soon. So long from Crater Lake!
PS: Here is one last photo from today. This is a picture of the Old Man of the Lake. Old Man is a 40 foot Mountain Hemlock log that has been floating vertically in the lake like this for over 100 years! He moves around with the winds and currents so from one day to the next he could be in a totally different place. Sometimes the tour boats find him, and sometimes not, but today we were lucky and were able to meet him.
My Crater Lake Summer 