What the Walrus said . . .

Photos and Anecdotes from a vagabond!

The Garfield Peak Trail

Have you ever been to Crater Lake National Park in Oregon? I am certain you have seen photos of it like mine above. It is an incredible sight to see.

Crater Lake is just that, an enormous lake that sits inside the caldera of an ancient volcano. The water in the caldera has collected from melting snow and rainwater. It is over nine hundred feet deep and averages about 42 degrees, even in the hot summer months. The island you see is called “Wizard’s Island” and is actually an ash cone from the vent in the caldera.

The drive alone is magnificent, climbing up through the forests of hemlock and fir. Yet, the first time you see the lake is one of those “WOW!” moments you will never forget.

You may notice that I have not cropped all these photos so that they fit into a standard shape or size. I tried that, but the results cut off too much of the scene that I was wanting to share.

The lake is amazing, yet it really does not change much, unless you change your point of perspective . . . such as hiking up Garfield Rim. It is a 3.5 mile climb up the side of the edge of the crater, and it really gives you a view that you simply cannot get at the visitor center.

It is a strenuous hike up and should not be taken lightly. There are many places that are very steep and move you along narrow slopes with significant drop-offs.
As you can see, the trail is very clearly established. As you get towards the top of the trail, it is not abnormal to run into snow in mid-July that still has not melted.
Near the top, due to the terrain, the trail will wind around one of the peaks on the rim.
Still hiking the ridge!
Topped out on the trail. This is the view to the east . . . somewhere (about 3,000 miles away) is Charleston, SC.
The eastern rim of the crater as seen from the top of Garfield Rim Trail.
The view looking northwesterly out across the lake and crater.
Heading back down to the lodge and visitor center. If you look closely, you can see the buildings on the left-hand edge of the photo.
As I said, the crater and lake truly are quite magnificent. Yet, like Mount Rushmore, once you see it and hike around it, until it erupts again it is not going to change much, so I am uncertain about r
turning anytime soon.

Also, the crater and lake are not in a very populated area. It is a long drive to get to the Park and back to somewhere to stay, unless you book a place at the lodge far in advance of your visit. Also, I highly recommend that you keep your gas tank around half full at all times, because finding a gas station is about as easy as finding lodging and food!

I am going to call this quits for now and get my tent secured. There is a series of thunderstorms blowing into the Moab, Utah area tonight and I just recieved the Flash Flood warnings from the weather service. Fear Not!! The KOA camp is up high and my roof top tent is up even higher.

Be safe and have a wonderful evening!! Mine should be . . . interesting! LOL

majik756

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