Crater Lake August 10th, 2013

When all else fails, just observe.

For the last four weeks I've been in an accelerated Biology class to help me get some credits to graduate faster. It's technically been a class on Forest Ecology and we got to spend the majority of our time out in the field learning about the forests we travel to. Ill do a post for most of the trips, but this one had to come first,  cause honestly... I'm impatient and this was my favorite!

For all intensive purposes the trip definitely started out the shittiest.

Rain?
          Thunder?
                            Lightening?
                                          Freezing Temperatures?
                                                                                                                                                                                               No Problem -.-


It was all of the above when we first got to camp. Luckily we got most of it set up before the real heavy rain started and in true Oregonian fashion none of my class mates really seemed to mind it. Most of them actually seemed to enjoy the rainy clashing and flashing of the storm with the exception of some students who obviously had recently relocated from some sunnier regions in California.

FACT: Nobody from Oregon is that tan... Or that afraid of rain. 

      Wanted to Samuel L. Jackson yell,"Get yo ass out from underneath that tree!"

After we setup we went to the rim of the lake and let me tell you, it's sheer beauty just about knocked the wind out of me. Of course I had heard of crater lake before but, I'm kinda ashamed to say that after living less than 4 hours away from it, this was my first time actually seeing it.  The picture from above was the first picture I took and even though the clouds were out, you can still see how majestic this place really is.

History Lesson: 

In case you didn't know Crater lake was once a volcano, Mt. Mazama to be exact, and some odd hundreds of thousands of years ago it erupted. Now, when the volcano erupted all the magma that the hard rock was sitting on escaped and the mountain caved in on itself. Just in case you are old enough to remember Mt. St. Helen's erupting in Washington, take that and multiply that about a hundred times; That was the size of the eruption. (If you don't believe me fact check me at the Crater Lake Website)  After the concave happened Wizard Island Formed inside the caldera and is now one of the only real visible piece of land above water in the lake. After thousand and thousands of years snow melt and rain water  filled the caldera, badda bing badda boom, lake!

Wizard Island, Crater lake, Oregon

May 22nd, 1902 the lake has been turned into a national park and people from all over the wold, since then, come to visit and see its impressive blue waters, sheer beauty, and vastness. 

After a while it got dark and one of our group members told us that the night we were staying was the first night of a meteor shower. Every one in the camp started getting antsy and we all decided to drive up to the rim of the lake to watch the meteor shower. Never had a heard such ... nothing and seen such...  everything. That's the only way to describe it. We all just sat there and from the moment we got there to the moment we left we all just enjoyed the comfortable silence with each other, observing the amazing beauty that was around us. We would look to the left, meteor. We would look to the right, meteor. It was a never ending light show put on by mother nature herself.

I didn't bring my camera and I was really mad at myself for not snapping a picture of it. It's okay though, some things you're just gonna have to see for yourself because a picture just wouldn't do it justice.

All is well that ends well I suppose. After a long freezing night and a VERY real/imaginary encounter with a bear, that turned out to be a snoring class mate, we went back to the rim the say farewell to the lake. Oddly enough it kinda said goodbye too in its own little nature-y way... after all the rain there was a rainbow.

Crater Lake, Rainbow

For those of you now inspired to visit the beautiful park...

Here are some tips that you may find helpful on your journey.

• The closest gas station to the lake is pretty far away: Fill up before you drive around up there.
• The food at the lodges and stores are VERY overpriced: If you have the room, try to pack your own sustenance. 
• There is a lot of wildlife here, being a national park in all: DON'T FEED THE ANIMALS. No matter how cute. Once fed, some animals stop trying to feed themselves and during the winter this is really devastating to their population
• The nights there get extremely cold, even in the summer: Brings layers and thick blankets.
• Stay away from the edges: Doesn't matter how ninja you are, if you fall you're most likely going to die.
• Don't plan on swimming: There are no locations to swim and the water would be too cold anyways.

All in all just enjoy and have a great time.

Local Eugenian Hikes. Where it's at!

 Skinners. 

Lions, Tigers, and bears... Oh my. 

As someone who lives in the Eugene/Springfield area I've picked up a couple of hobbies from just being a part of the community that lives here.. It was bound to rub off on me at some point.Things like yoga, biking, rock climbing, running, and of course hiking are just part of daily life for everybody here. For a city nicknamed "Track Town USA" It's obvious the people here love to run, but people can't run all the time. So what do they do?.. they hike. 

The Willamette Valley in general is pretty green...as in lots of plants...among other green things, but the abundant shrubbery provides lots of shady areas to go hiking in. I have a co-worker from Arizona once say to me, Direct Quote, " When I first moved here I had no idea there were so many shades of green. In Arizona the closest we get to a tree is a palm tree or a cactus." with that being said there are lots of parks and areas around town that is perfect for one of my favorite cardio activities that doesn't involve running.

Skinner Butte (Skinner's): Although the name sounds kind of like a place in a horror film where the crazy psycho goes to skin all of his victims alive the closest you'll get to a psycho here are the people who run up the hill for fun. (I've actually seen people running up hiking trails quite a few times in this town.. I blame the "Track Town" stigma) The name of the butte is actually named after the founder of the town, Eugene Skinner. Located on the North side of town wedged between the Willamette River and the ever growing downtown the hike itself sports some fantastic views of the city. From the top you can see the Fifth Street Market, the Eugene Hotel, and at the base of the butte is the historic Shelton McMurphey House that I'm sure has been there since the dawn of time. Everything about this hike is easy and relaxed. It takes you right out of the business of the city below and gives you an opportunity to look at things from a different perspective.

Trails: 2 to 4 different trails. Eugene Rock Columns on one side
Length/Duration: Dependent upon trial but, 1 hour tops, for most hikers
Accessibility: Short walk from just about anywhere in downtown.
Views: All of downtown, some of West and South Eugene.
Warning: You are right on the edge of downtown, transients, drug usage and larger amounts of people are not uncommon. An easy hike yes, but if you are looking for the peaceful solitude you can get from hiking in the woods... this probably is not the place for you.