We headed up to the Crater Lake Lodge for breakfast. That's kind of a thing with Matt and I in National Parks; we gotta try the lodge (where available) for at least one meal. It was heavenly. I had marionberry stuffed French toast. Mmm.
There is only one trail down to Crater Lake, and you have to drive halfway around the lake to get there. Not that I'm complaining. It was such a beautiful drive around the rim and there were so many places you could get out and see the lake from another perspective.
We hit the trail shortly before noon. You hike 1.1 miles to the lake shore, but you descend roughly 800 feet in that mile. It's a wee bit steep. The trip down was a cinch, but the trip up...
Mr. Crabby Wouldn't Smile
We took a breather down at the shore and watched the excursion boats go by. For $20 each, you can take a scenic boat ride. It probably would have been worth it, but we're both allergic to anything with the word "excursion" in it. Too touristy. Anyway, let's think about this for a minute: big boats, probably 30 people per boat, one trail down to the lake, no road. How the hell do they get the boats in the water, you ask? I asked, and they do it by helicopter! Neato, huh? We actually saw a Sikorsky Sky Crane over the park the day we got there. I have no idea if it was dropping a boat into the lake or not.
We challenged ourselves on the hike back out. The sign at the top said that it takes between 40 and 80 minutes. I bet Matt we could do it in 25 and he agreed. A coronary later, we were at the trailhead in just at 25 minutes. Booya!
Finished up the lake drive, hit the gift shop again (I'm a conspicuous consumer--sue me), and camped at a new campground--little Lost Creek, with only 16 campsites. It was a much better, quieter night without so many neighbors.