We arrived at crater lake a whole day and a half earlier than planned. Having driven through burnt forests, Rob and I were worried crater lake national park had been affected by the wildfires, which had as it turned out, missed the park. As we drove in, the roads steepened and the trees thickened once again, returning to the thick wild forests we had become accustomed to. Once rob and I finally reached the carpark, we slipped on our hiking boots and headed for the nearest lookout spot. It's no surprise the first two sets of settlers attempted to name it "blue lake" and "the great blue lake". When rob and I climbed to the top of the volcano, a deep chasm stretching miles filled with the bluest water I had ever seen in real life welcomed us. A silent breeze brushed the surface of the water, creating vast ripples which stretched the distance of the lake, creating a marble effect on the water.
The lake was silent, as were the waves. I felt as placid as the blue water miles below. Once we had taken in the spectacular views, rob and I located the visitor center to have a look around, before picking an easy going hike around the rim for the evening. We walked, we talked, we laughed and we made a loop back towards the car, bellies hungry for food. We ended the day watching the sunset from the back of our van, watching blues sink into peaches, to deep pinks, to stars. The second morning welcomed us in the usual way- an urgent need to locate the nearest bathroom, followed by the usual scramble to organise the van before our day.
We headed off relatively early to our first trip of the day: the Watchman fire lookout. The hike was easy, but the gradient was steep. Along the way, a cloud inversion swept over the trees below us, blanketing the world below in white, fluffy clouds. The moon shone above us, faint and pale in the morning sky. It was a dream. The sun continued to rise and warm up the morning as we headed to our second hike; a descent down the volcano towards the
lake for a swim. The hike down took around 45 minutes and was steep. Whilst at the time I didn't feel an impact on my knees, I couldn't help but wonder what the way back up would feel like. When we got to the bottom, the hounding of the waves from the lake crashing against the rim filled my ears. I was mildly surprised by how choppy the waters were, from above the lake felt so silent and tranquil. Never the less, we changed into our swimsuits and edged towards the lake, clambering over several rocks to approach the water. At the top of the Watchman fire lookout that morning, we learned that the lake water was from snow melt. It should therefore have been no surprise that as we plunged into the deep blue water, that it stung us like knives. As we plunged into the cold, the air was ripped out of our lungs, the cold finding it's way into every part of our body. After the initial shock, I felt rejuvenated, ready for the ascent back up the volcano. After a short swim, we dried off, warmed up and sat. Taking in the views, the sounds of tourists jumping from rocks and the waves hitting the shore. We changed, we dried, we hiked back to the top.
The rest of the day was open, free for opportunity and spontaneity. We picked the Mt Scott hiking route and began our final hike of the day. The hike was short but relatively steep. As the sun beat on the back of our necks, we slowly made our way to the top, marvelling at the grandeur that is crater lake. Over the lake, we saw glimpses of Mt Thielsen After watching the sunset over the lake, turning the sky pink and lighting the trees orange, we got in the van and made our way to our next stop along the coast to San Fransisco...
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