I,
too, experience a yen to go exploring. I look across the water, up the
mountains, deep into the forest, and I wonder, and long to take off just to see
what’s out there.
But
that’s about as far as I ever go.
Can
you imagine yearning to explore so deeply that you’re ready to haul a half-ton
of boat hull up the side of a mountain (with the help of about 15 of your
healthiest colleagues)? Well, someone did this. It was 1886 when CaptainClarence Dutton and his U.S. Geological Survey party hauled the good ship
Cleetwood up the steep, forest-covered incline towards the distant top.
And
what did he find there? Exactly what the Klamath Natives said was up there.
It
was the ancient and beautiful Crater Lake, one the world’s amazing bodies of
water that has formed, of all places, in a long dormant volcano.
Mount Mazama used to tower where
now this lake splashes placidly. The scientists say this volcano saw an
enormous eruption about 7700 years ago, which resulted in the top 5000 feet of
the mountain caving in. Once the basin cooled down, subsequent lava flows
sealed off the bottom, and, over about 720 years, the basin filled with
approximately 4.6 trillion gallons of water. This comes from rain and melting
snow. That’s a lot of water in one place, and the result is the deepest lake in
the United States of America at 1949 feet.
But, not contented to rest, yet,
old Mount Mazama had one last hurrah and hiccupped again. The result of this
activity was a wee volcano protruding from the surface of the lake. This new
cone is known as Wizard Island, a volcano within a volcano! Actually, Mazama
did that a total of three times, but two of the little volcanos are completely
under water.
The lake
is beautiful. The unbelievable blueness of this Oregon lake, they say, defies
both words and cameras, and its waters consistently test as incredibly pure and
clean. Such a lake is surely one of
Mother Nature’s finest accomplishments.
As
an endnote, there is another odd anomaly associated with this beautiful place.
Everyone who knows anything about this place always keeps an eye out for the OldMan of the Lake. Why not? The Old Many is a very unique sight, as Crater Lake’s
most famous resident of over 100 years. The Old Man is a full-sized tree, about
30 feet tall, which has been bobbing around in the water, perfectly vertically,
since at least 1902. He’s become a huge part of the local lore. Some have said
he controls the weather on the lake. One story goes that, in an effort to avoid
boating accidents, scientists once try to tie the Old Man up near Wizard
Island, but, instantly, the sky darkened and storms began crashing in. Quickly,
they untied him and set him free and, amazingly, the sky suddenly cleared to a
crystal blue. Scientists continue to debate as to why this tree never seems to
decay, and how it remains perfectly vertical, but the lake hasn’t revealed its
secret, yet.
And Crater
Lake, Oregon, no doubt, has many secrets.
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