Crater Lake National Park, OR
I once read an article which had compiled a bunch of 1-star reviews of national parks. There was a guy that said going to Crater Lake was a waste of time because all you see is a lake.
Be warned, the main attraction at Crater Lake National Park is Crater Lake. Crater Lake is a lake in a crater. It's filled with enough water to make it the 10th deepest lake in the world and deepest lake in the United States. The water sits inside a caldera which was formed about 150 years ago when a volcano exploded. The lake is replenished only by rain water and snow melt (there are no rivers emptying into the lake). If you drive or walk the park road, you will circumnavigate the lake and thus see 360 angles of the same crystal clear deep blue lake.
Unlike 1-star guy, I love lakes. Crater Lake is one of the most beautiful and unique lakes I've ever seen. It's blue water is mesmerizing. If you get a chance, please go.
Courtney and I
I arrived at Crater Lake sometime in the afternoon. My phone had zero reception which made it challenging to find Courtney who was waiting for me at the visitor center. Thankfully, we were able to find each other and adventure forth!
Aside from hiking around the rim of the caldera, we decided to hike down to the lake. The hike down consisted of a series of switchbacks. At the bottom, we encountered a small group of people who were cliff jumping into the frigid 37 degree waters.
Brave souls
Bikini or bust!
We were greeted by a heavy downpour as soon as we made it back to the top and decided it was time to seek out a place to camp for the night in the Umpqua National Forest just outside the park.
Our camp spot
The beauty of the National Forests is that there is so much open land where you can camp for free in private. Many times, you can even find actual campgrounds which are maintained within National Forests which are also free. Tonight though, the small clearing in the photo above served as our camp spot.
Toketee Falls, OR
One of the few side adventures we went on was a short trip to Toketee Falls. Toketee Falls is located in the Umpqua National Forest. It's a short hike to a double tiered water fall. The toughest part about getting to the falls is finding the parking lot as the turnout to the parking lot is not marked. Should you attempt your own adventure to the falls, here's a couple previews of things you'll see:
An old wooden leaking water pipe.
Toketee Falls, OR
After the falls we headed to Eugene for lunch and to briefly peruse the REI in town. We parted ways in Eugene. Courtney was headed to Bend and I to Portland.
