Smoke Chasers

The dog days, that melancholic time of the season portending the weaning of summer, can be difficult in any given year. Today, with the dire lack of rainfall exacerbating wildfires throughout the West, the “dogs," if you will, are more like the “hounds from hell.” Even leaves on deciduous trees appear fatigued by the long, dry summer.

The historic fire season continues to smolder in Oregon and Washington. Wildfires can occur year round, of course. But after years of climate change and drought -- along with forests rife with ground fuels -- the timberlands of the American West have been transformed into a giant tinderbox, ready to burst into flames.

Knowing full well of the risk of encountering smoke from the National Creek Fire (top photo) near Crater Lake National Park, we called the Park Service for an eyewitness report the day before our scheduled departure for a bit of hiking and camping. “It’s clear and sunny here today,” noted the ranger with a smile in her voice. “Come on up!”

So off we went over for a few days of high country recreation near the “crown jewel" of the Cascades. Arriving at the north entrance to the park, however, the smoke from the National Creek fire was evident, but drifting north and away from the caldera. Fortunately, the Rim Drive around Crater Lake was indeed clear and sunny.

The plan was to climb Mt. Scott (above), but it was too late in the day, so we decided to continue on to Crater Lake Lodge. Stopping at Sun Notch, one of two u-shaped valleys on the rim, we arrived just in time to capture a vision of the Phantom Ship, the smaller of two islands (the other being Wizard Island) on Crater Lake.

The Phantom Ship, an andesite plug older than Mt. Mazama itself, derives its name from the fact that it resembles a sailing ship. From different perspectives, and in different weather and lighting conditions, Phantom Ship (below, bottom left) may appear -- or just as quickly disappear -- from visibility, blending into the caldera wall.

The next day, we climbed the trail to the lookout on Mt. Scott, the highest point in the park at nearly 9,000 feet above sea level. A small parasitic cone on the flanks of Mt. Mazama, Mt. Scott is one of the state's oldest volcanoes and tenth highest mountain in the Oregon Cascades. The mountain is named for Levi Scott, an Oregon pioneer.

As we descended Mt. Scott, the smoke from the National Creek fire shifted toward Crater Lake, so we proceeded back to Diamond Lake Campground, grounded for the remainder of the day. The smoke eventually shifted back to the north, providing a smokey but picturesque sunset visible from our campsite (below).