In southern Oregon there is a lake that is a crater, and it is the deepest of all the lakes in the US. The crisp blue color is in a league of its own, holding up next to any color of the best sunsets you’ve seen. The fact that there are no rivers or inlets attached or flowing to it, makes for some of the purest water in the world – it is a clarity that goes undisputed. It is a landscape that Life painted – one that Gaia made for you. Welcome to Crater Lake.
Our one and only day at the Crater was spectacular and everything we hoped it to be: stunning in sight, uncrowded and without fuss, we checked a “first” off our list - we went snowshoeing! At $16 a pair and with free-roam of the park, we set off with a thwap and crunch as our wide feet left indents in the blinding white snow. At one point, we got right up next to the rim of the crater. A feeling of awe became us: the sensory experience of standing on the snow so high up, the sun warming our skin and the sight hypnotizing our eyes – it was simply awesome.
Aside from snowshoeing, we threw snowballs, wrote “Happy Mother’s Day!'“ messages into the walls of hard packed snow, toured the gift shop, made lunch in our van, and we found a sled, too! It was left on a hill, so we both jumped on and flew down.
It was different and fun to be snowshoeing in late May, in moderate temperature, with the astonishing clarity and intense blue hue of Crater Lake’s water. It was a day of play among a natural Earth wonder. Gratitude.
