Small campsite off Hwy 138
Just outside Crater Lake National Park
Miles: 22
Trip: 1003
Spent the morning eating Mom's homemade monkey bread (warm from the Mazama store microwave, thank you technology) and escaping from/enjoying Crater Lake's unique brand of town vortex. The four-mile not-graded-for-stock trail up to Rim Village was an invigorating wake-up hike, but then we were trapped by the Rim's fully stocked store (with similar products as Mazama, all priced 50% higher) for a full hour.
I made a decidedly impulse buy of a $40 solar charger to fuel my iPod, shipped to me from home with love and a dead battery. I really believe having fresh music (rather than the same eight songs I've had cycling in my head for 1000 miles) will amp me up to a new level of hiking. Just the 30 minutes of bluegrass and showtunes I was able to wring out of the iPod today, helped me power up the hills. If this solar charger works, it could be my smartest purchase yet. If not...a very expensive pack ornament.
Getting a huge water yogi (a yogi is a favor or freebie given by a non-hiker, usually without the hiker making an out-right request) from Hotshot's friend was welcome. He drove something like 4 hours to drop off six 5-gallon jugs of water here at Hwy 138, and hang out with Hotshot. That's friendship - and great luck for us! It does feel slightly like cheating, but then I think: Who wrote down rules? We're all playing our own game out here.
"The unexpected and incredible belong in the world. Only then is life whole." - Carl Jung
Shaggy says:
Crater Lake was actually probably one of my favorite National Parks yet. I suppose I was not expecting much, a big over-hyped lake. But I found much more. We walked along the rim for 7 miles. It was very peaceful and relaxing. Also the tourist watching was endless.
We spent the morning leisurely, ate a big breakfast at the gift shop. Started hiking at 9. Got to Rim Village at 11. Left at one in the afternoon. 6 days of food and 7 liters of water. We are in a large, 26 mile waterless stretch. Luckily a young lady named Hot Shot had a friend who is bringing us water.
We are at highway 138 with Hot Shot and Snausage. Good times. I love this trail.
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| Rim of Crater Lake. |
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| Wizard Island - a volcano within a volcano! |
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| Another rim shot (buh-dum-bum) |
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| This snow was beautiful and tantalizing, with how dry the trail was. |
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