Annual Crater Lake Visit

I try to spend a little time at Crater Lake every time I visit Oregon. The lake is a power spot with its deep, mesmerizing blue waters; its jagged rock formations; and its natural setting in a huge crater on top of a mountain. It's one of the world's unique places, both for its beauty and its location. This is the Phantom Ship. It looks small but actually rises about 150 feet out of the water.

The lake was created about 7000 years ago when ancient Mount Mazama blew out its guts and collapsed, leaving a huge caldera that filled with water. The jagged remnants of Mazama are visible everywhere around the perimeter of the lake. Here's an outcropping contrasted against the water. To give an idea of scale, the rock is probably about 100 feet below me, and the lake is another 1500 feet or so lower than the rock. This picture was taken from the Cloudcap viewpoint.

It was a sunny, warm day when I visited last Saturday, but of course you're really high up in the mountains at Crater Lake...the rim is over 7000 feet above sea level in most places. And the elements are harsh most of the year. The whitebark pines struggle for survival in the cold, wind, and snow. Here in southern Oregon, they're common at about 7500 feet elevation. Down near Lake Tahoe, you find them around 9000 feet.