Last year we purchased snow shoes with the intent of Getting Out There. We did OK last year but with the exception of Helen going on the Park Ranger snowshoe at Mt. Bachelor we haven't done that great this season. In our defense it hasn't seemed that much like winter around here, at least not like the winter or 08-09.
So we decided that we should go and take the Ranger-led snowshoe at Crater Lake National Park. Since the lodge at the park is closed this time of year we (I) did the Internet thing and selected lodging at "The Wilson's Cabins".
According to their website:
"The Wilson brothers began construction on the cottages in 1937. Everything from the wood shingles to the furniture was made by hand from trees harvested on the 135 acre property. The quality of their craftsmanship has withstood the test of time.
Annie creek, which originates from a spring inside Crater Lake National Park, flows through the property. It offers a mesmerizing, tranquil retreat amid the tall pines and one of the oldest Quaking Aspen stands in North America. Come and enjoy lodging at a truly unique and beautiful place located next to Crater Lake, one of the natural wonders of the world."
When you where a kid, if you ever visited a place like the Lake of the Ozarks and stayed in the cabins there - a similar place. We where the only ones there, they don't get much traffic during the winter. Very rustic, but clean and good beds to sleep in.
Here is an album of some pictures of the place:
Crater Lake
Almost 2,000 feet deep, the lake is the seventh deepest lake in the world, and the water is amazingly clear. On weekends the park offers free snowshoe tours with a park ranger and they even provide the snowshoes. The snow base was 119 inches and they had 24 inches of new snow the night before.
The tour lasted about 2 1/2 hours. we started out by walking down the slope away from the lake and ended by climbing back up to the rim of the crater to see the lake. Absolutely gorgeous!
Here is the slideshow of the photos:
