Redwoods or Bust – Third Entry

We found Crater Lake–Judy’s one desire of the trip–in dense smoke. So disappointing! Due to my need to spend four hours in the AT&T store yesterday, we arrived at Crater Lake much later than expected. In fact, it was so late we wondered if we were going the right way. From the very beginning there was an indication of trouble as you can see from the first picture below. We learned that this area had several storms over the weekend and that lightening started some severe forest fires. You can see the resulting smoke in the pictures. When we awoke this morning, the smoke had settled down into the crater. Judy was not a happy camper.

Nevertheless, we persevered and made the hike down to the lake. Earlier, we had registered for the boat trip and were looking forward to it, only to learn two days ago that our trip had been canceled due to a new National Park ruling. The hike down to the water was deceptive. I wondered if we had trained all those early mornings for nothing. Judy and I had taken early morning walks/hikes up a part of Cecil Ashburn and Green Mountain for a couple of months in order to train specifically for this hike. Going down, I had hoped to say that we prepared ourselves so well that the hike was a breeze, but that would be an “alternative fact.” The trip back up was brutal! Even with many many stops along the way, the two seventy year olds on this hike were exhausted. The lone twelve year old, who did not train a bit, was just fine! Well almost; note the picture below. High altitude probably had a lot to do with our exhaustion.

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We enjoyed a delicious peanut butter and jelly lunch along with a much deserved nap before leaving for the afternoon ventures. Our first stop was a delightful “wildflower garden” hike through a mountain meadow of lupines, American bistorts, and Lewis Monkey flowers. A babbling little stream, fed by melting snow, ran throughout the mountain meadow. The beautiful setting was actually a clearing nestled within a spruce forest, the tall trees sheltering and protecting the delicate ecosystem there. I think this was Judy’s favorite part of the day, and frankly mine as well. Grandparents like pretty little meadows filled with wildflowers; grandchildren prefer cool for swimming and wading.

We topped of the day with a trip to a cascade and waterfall near the park headquarters. As you can see from the picture, the water falls rapidly at first and then cascades down the rocky hillside. Mosquitoes were terrible here, but I persevered to get several shots in the hopes that on might decorate a wall somewhere, someday. Off to the California coast tomorrow and some Redwoods.