Crater Lake

Crater Lake *sigh*

This is the most beautiful place I've ever seen.  I almost don't even want to post these pictures because they border on bland compared to the actual lake!!

This is gonna be one of those long, history lesson, posts...

Here we are on our little shuttle :)

And here is a wikipedia summary of the majestic Crater Lake:

Crater Lake is a caldera lake located in the south-central region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and famous for its deep blue color and water clarity. The lake partly fills a nearly 2,148-foot (655 m) deep caldera that was formed around 7,700 (± 150) years ago by the collapse of the volcano Mount Mazama. There are no rivers flowing into or out of the lake; the evaporation is compensated for by rain and snowfall at a rate such that the total amount of water is replaced every 250 years.

On June 12, 1853, John Wesley Hillman was reportedly the first person of European descent to see what he named "Deep Blue Lake" in Oregon.

We arrived in the morning and there had recently been a fire, so it was bit muggy and the air was clouded...but it was still beautiful.  And it just kept getting better as the morning mist began to fade!

The lake is 5 by 6 miles across with an average depth of 1,148 feet. Its maximum depth has been measured at 1,949 feet, which fluctuates slightly as the weather changes. On the basis of maximum depth, Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States, the second deepest in North America and the ninth deepest lake in the world. However, on the basis of comparing average depths among the world's deepest lakes, Crater Lake becomes the deepest lake in the Western Hemisphere and the third deepest in the world.

This, i'm copying out of the tourist pamphlets we got at the lake.  I think it's awesome!

"A resident of Portland, Will Steel first visited Crater Lake as a tourist in the summer of 1885. Upon reaching the rim, he stood in awed silence and vowed to do whatever necessary to save the 'grand and beautiful' lake from private exploitation.  Returning to Portland he circulated a petition among the city's elite, wrote letters to regional newspaper editors and rallied the support of Oregon's congressional delegation.  In January of 1886, House Representative Binger Hermann asked President Grover Cleveland that Crater Lake be protected from private development while Congress considered the merits of establishing a national park.  The president assented.  Remarkably, Will Steel had accomplished his goal in less than 6 months, at the age of 31.

On February 1, 1886, President Cleveland signed an executive order withdrawing 10 townships (360 sq. miles) of public land around Crater Lake from settlement or sale.  It was a good thing he did because even though Oregon's representatives immediately introduced bills into the House and Senate calling for the creation of a national park, the bills foundered in the face of opposition from sheep-grazing interests and those who saw the park as a drain on the treasury.  It would take Congress another 16 years to pass legislation establishing Crater Lake National Park.

 
Will Steel's other achievement of 1886 was to help initiate, organize and conduct a scientific survey to plumb Crater Lake's waters.  The lake and its surroundings had yet to be mapped or studied.  The expedition consisted of 35 men, mostly soldiers, and was funded by the U.S. Geological Survey.  Steel took charge of procuring 3 boats and a depth-sounding device, which consisted of a lead pipe suspended on piano wire, wrapped around a spool.  Steel's biggest challenge was getting the boats to the lake.  Constructed in Portland, they were transported by rail to Ashland, carried by 65 horses and mules to the lake's rim (a trip that took a week), then lowered over the precipice to the shore using ropes, wooden sleds and a full day of human toil.

Here's how Steel described what happened next: 'No time was lost getting our soundings under way.  The first was made about 100 yards from shore.  It was supposed that we might possibly find as much as 100 ft. of water, but, as the lead ran out, our excitement grew with each succeeding 100 feet, until over 1,000 feet were out.  At 1,200 feet the machine stopped, and our pent up feelings exploded in one wild yell of delight.' In a 3 week span from mid-July to early August, the crew made a total of 168 soundings, discovering, in places, waters of nearly 2,000 feet.  Crater Lake had been revealed to be the deepest lake in America, surpassing even Lake Tahoe.  For the first time, scientific data was available to back up the claim that Crater Lake was not only grand and beautiful, but a site of national importance.

In the years after 1886 Will Steel continued to be Crater Lake's greatest champion and promoter.  He campaigned relentlessly for elevation to national park status, raised funds for the construction of visitor amenities such as roads and Crater Lake Lodge, and eventually served as the park's second superintendent.  If not for his efforts--particularly those of 1886--the lake may never have achieved permanent protection as a public park.  In the words of historian Rick Harmon, the life of Will Steel 'provides a vivid case study of a single person's powerful impact on decisions of government and the course of history.' Even 125 years later, it's an inspiring reminder of what each of us can accomplish through dedication and work."

Due to several unique factors, most prominently that it has no inlets or
tributaries, the waters of Crater Lake are some of the purest in terms of the
absence of pollutants in North America.Secchi disk clarity readings have
consistently been in the high-20 meter to mid-30 meter range, which is very
clear for any natural body of water. In 1997, scientists recorded a record
clarity of 43.3 meters.

The Secchi disk, created in 1865 by Pietro Angelo Secchi SJ, 

is a circular disk used to measure water transparency in oceans and

lakes. The disc is mounted on a pole or line, and lowered slowly down 

in the water. The depth at which the pattern on the disk is no longer

visible is taken as a measure of the transparency of the water.

Our tour guide told us that the water is SO clear, that the first time one of their scientists went to the bottom of the lake in a submarine, he could still see light out of the windows.  AT 1,900 FT. BELOW WATER!!!!

Crater Lake is fed by rain and snow (but no rivers and streams) It is considered to be the cleanest body of water in the world.The water is so blue because there is hardly anything else in it - just water. It's not pure water, but it's close. We've all seen the colors in a rainbow when normal white light passes through a raindrop and breaks into the individual colors of the spectrum. All those colors are in sunlight. The reason different objects appear to be different colors lies in the molecular structure of the chemicals that make up that object. For example, a red shirt appears red because the chemicals in the fabric dye are put together in a way that absorbs all of the colors except red. The red wavelengths then bounce back, hit our retina, and our brain sees "red." Water molecules, just plain water with no sediments, algae, pesticides or pollution, will absorb all the colors of the spectrum except the blues. Those wavelengths will bounce back and make the water appear blue. The key is to have relatively pure water and lots of it. There has to be enough molecules to absorb all the other colors. (There are 4.9 trillion gallons of water in the lake, so it works really well.)

Pumice Castle

Outside pic of our bus

THIS is crazy!  Look at the picture below, right to the left of the big tree trunk in the middle of the picture is what looks like a teeny rock/island thing.  Well that thing is the length of a football field!!!!  That's how big the lake is!

Vidae Falls

Some other beautiful photos and aerial views taken by others.

 

Crater Lake National Park, OR