| CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK,
Oregon July 2002 It's the deepest lake in the US (1943 feet at the deepest part). Before the gigantic volcanic eruption some 7,700 years ago, the mountain used to be known as Mazama, now dormant and filled with rain water and snowmelt. I entered the lake at the south entrance and drove straight to the Lost Creek campground to secure a place for the night. After pitching my tent and depositing ten bits, I circumnavigated the lake over land on Rim Drive, a 33-mile scenic route. Though I circled the lake counterclockwise, I highly recommend you do clockwise for safety and convenience. There are no shoulders to speak of, and road sides have eroded, exposing quite a drop off the mountainside. Passing a large RV over a cliff becomes a navigational feat. I hiked down the Cleetwood Trail to the lake to the boat ramp, where you can take a boat ride around the lake if you like. The hike is a steep mile, so it's fun going down, but remember that you have to walk back up. About a mile past the campground was the Pinnacles, tall pointy columns of harden pumice formed by escaping gases. A lovely site at sunset. I woke up early the next morning to see the sunrise over the lake. I saw a beautiful gray fox running up a hill with a dead chipmunk between its jaws.  Crater Lake
at dawn, 30 seconds (56K
Modem) (150K
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