We got an early start this morning, which had the added bonus that we were up in time to see the deer that had come into our campsite! When she ran off down the slope she joined up with another doe that had a very young fawn with her. Brady, Joe and I all got to see it. Unfortunately Nick and Ryan were still in their tent and missed it. This morning we needed to get up and out by 8:30 because we had a reservation to take a boat ride around Crater Lake that left at 10:30. They estimated it would take about 45 minutes to drive up to that point on the lake from the campground and then you needed to factor in an hour to hike down. The Cleetwood Cove trail is the one access point to Crater Lake. There are no swimming beaches (mostly because the water averages about 45 degrees) and private boats are not allowed on the lake. The only way to be on the water as a tourist is to take this tour.
We got there in plenty of time. The hike down was steep in places, but not bad. Crater Lake was formed 7,700 years ago when Mt. Mazuma erupted and then collapsed in on itself. This formed a large crater that sealed up when the magma cooled and then began to fill with water. It filled with rain and snow for about 300 years, during which time there were several other smaller eruptions that formed, among other things, an island in the lake that is now called Wizard Island. After 300 years it reached a state of equilibrium where it has maintained more or less the same depth since. The only water that comes into the lake is rain or snow. There are no rivers or streams feeding into it, therefore it has the world record for clarity. This and its depth are what create the amazing bright blue color. Hiking down into this crater was really exciting.
The boat ride was in an open boat that just cruised around the lake and stopped at several points of interest. The ranger who gave the tour was kind of a strange guy , but a great storyteller! He told the story of the lake from multiple perspectives, that of the native American people that lived in the area at the time (the Klamath tribe), that of the geologists, biologists, and finally the tourist William Gladstone Steele who was responsible for getting the congress to make Crater Lake a national park in 1902. It was very interesting and entertaining and we got to see far more of the cool features in the lake than we would have by staying at the top.
After the hour and forty-five minute tour we had to hike back up the 1.1 mile Cleetwood Cove trail. This was definitely more challenging than the way down! Nick and Ryan sprinted ahead while Joe and I took it a little easier with Brady. He was a trooper, though, and made it up the trail without much complaining. We then drove to another viewpoint hoping to find a picnic spot that wasn't snowed in, but instead came upon a road closure due to snow! We had to turn around and head back along the same scary road we came in on yesterday. It's amazing what you can get used to, though, because today it didn't freak me out nearly as much! We found a picnic site with only a small patch of snow, but some fairly aggressive birds. After lunch we headed back to camp for showers, card games, then dinner. Tonight's ranger talk was on stars. Joe and the boys went to it, but Brady didn't make it. Tomorrow we head off again. On to the Redwood Forest!
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