Crater Lake

Oregon is amazing. There are some of the most beautiful places on the planet right in our back yard. We have mountains and lakes and rivers among deserts and the ocean. We really have all kinds of things. Today was about a lake, but not just any lake, a crater.

Southern Oregon in the winter yields some large amounts of snow in the winter months. Today I got up close with some 3 feet of it on the rim of an ancient volcano. Mt. Mazama was about 12000 feet of pristeen cascade mountain set between what is presently Roseburg and Klamath Falls. Some 7000 years ago it decided it no longer wanted to be a mountain. The magma chamber underneath the mountain pushed through the crust of the Earth and became above the crust of the Earth in a giant eruption. Without the magma to hold up the peak of the mountain collapsed into itself and became a great crater.

Time passed and presently there is 1900 ft of water covering the remains of what was once possibly the highest mountain in Oregon. Surround the caldera of this with snow and you can see the image of surreal beauty that I witnessed today. On two days notice, my friend Nate and I took the trip to the rim and stood in awe as we looked out on Crater Lake.

After a conversation with my dad last week, I wasn't really looking forward to the view as I should have. His comment said simply that if you have seen any picture of the lake on a clear day then you have seen the lake and don't really need to see it in person. A grossly inaccurate assessment. My first view of the lake, I commented on the walls of the crater being taller than I thought they would be. I then realized that there was a perfect reflection of the sky about 1000 feet below me. Walking along the rim, Nate and I sat and enjoyed lunch looking out on the lake. We calmly chatted about this and that then walked along the rim of the crater. There was along the rim a rock wall that we found comfortable to sit on and stare at an unobstructed view of the lake.

Never having been to the lake before today, I didn't know what to think as we drove there this morning. I simply do not have the words to tell you what went through my mind. You can see 100 pictures of it, but until you experience God's Majesty, you've never seen Crater Lake. I sat in awe, silently enjoying my company and God's brush on the Earth. It's still just a crater with a lake in the bottom of it, but it's now part of my experience and one that I will never forget. I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths just to feel as close to the Lake as possible. Someday I will return and enjoy the scenery once again, but the first images in my mind will last forever.