Crater Lake and Mt. Shasta
Towards the end of 2020, FeFe and I went on a long roadtrip up to Crater Lake, passing by Mt. Shasta on the way up and down. We drove a total of 1300 miles on this trip, setting a new record for longest roadtrip.
Wildfires in northern California had engulfed the entire Shasta region in thick smoke. When we drove by Shasta, we couldn’t see the mountain, even if we stood right underneath it. In the late afternoon, as the sun dropped lower on the horizon, huge swathes of the California emptiness were bathed in an eerie red glow. It felt like we were driving on Mars.
After what seemed like an eternity, the smoke finally cleared, and we arrived in Medford, where we were staying, after over six hours on the road. Crater Lake is such a remote park with few lodging options nearby that we still had to drive two hours from our hotel into the park. It was quite a trek every morning and evening.
Day One
We arrived at the park the following morning and hiked to the top of Garfield Peak. The enormous blue freshwater lake loomed before us on every turn. Smoke from the California wildfires blanketed the lake, rendering its surface much less blue than it typically is on a clear day.
In the afternoon, we trekked down to the surface of the lake for a dip. Well, I did. The water was freezing. I only managed to stay under for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, other daredevils were diving from a rocky ledge…
It took awhile to dry off and trek back to our car. We were running out of time so we skipped dinner and instead rushed over to Cloudcap Overlook, the best spot in the park for sunset over the lake.
The sun sets between two distant peaks. Smoke still blanketed the lake, obscuring the calm waters beneath.
Day Two
I really wanted to see sunrise over the lake, so I dragged FeFe out of bed at 4am the next morning. She slept the entire two hour trip into the park. I was too amped up on adrenaline and nervousness that I’d miss the moment to fall asleep though. As we arrived in the park, the horizon had already lit up in deep orange hues, but the sun was nowhere to be seen. Perfect. We parked at the foot of Watchman Peak, and I sprinted up the mountain to the overlook tower on top. FeFe decided to take it easy instead :)
It seemed like an eternity later, but finally the rising sun emerged through a thick layer of smoke in the distance, glowing red-hot.
Thanks for chasing sunrise after sunset with me :)
We had made it all this way without a drop of coffee, so obviously, we were pretty tired. We returned to the visitor center for terrible drip coffee (can’t be too picky in places like this) and breakfast, then took a brief nap in our car.
We took it easy for the rest of the day and stopped by some sights on the edges of the park.
Day Three
On our way home, we stopped by McCloud Falls and Burney State Park Falls. Both of these are magnificent waterfalls in the middle of lush forest. I liked McCloud Falls much more though. Even though it was the smaller of the two, it streams delicately over moss-covered rocks to form a lushy green lagoon at its base. It feels like a hidden gem deep in the forest.
That wraps up our longest roadtrip! If you made it this far, thanks, and see more photos here.
