Mt. Mazama: Crater Lake

With the exception of Glacier Peak, I know Crater Lake as well as anyplace in the Cascades. It's a mystical spot, the deepest lake in North America and the seventh deepest lake in the world. I first saw the lake as a child and, as luck would have it, I worked there as a tour guide and boat operator in the early '70s.

As a child, the family would camp at Diamond Lake and drive up to the rim of the lake. It's called "Crater Lake," but it's actually a caldera. The "crater," if you will, is on top of Wizard Island. The lake has been in existence for slightly more that 6,600 years, but the mountain has been there much longer.

In his book The Best of Oregon, UO School of Journalism professor and author, Ken Metzler, lists Crater Lake as number one on the "Seven Natural Wonders of Oregon." He notes: "(the natives who) were ever wise in environmental matters, left Crater Lake alone." The Klamath and Modoc natives feared the curse of Llao.

In 2002, on the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Crater Lake National Park, the Park Service held a reunion for former employees of the federal government and the concessionaire(s) over the years. A gaggle of us were in attendance (below). As when I was a child, we camped at Diamond Lake and enjoyed the reunion.