Mazama's Core

Wildfires burned the sky red as we pointed north, seeking the cool, clear waters of Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the United States.

It formed when the ~12,000 foot Mount Mazama collapsed, creating a giant caldera that eventually filled to a max depth of 1,943 feet. 

When we arrived at the lake’s rim, smoke filled our lungs, but it didn’t deter us from filling our bellies with tacos and tequila. We jived to music that jived with the land and watched the cotton candy fire sunset.

When day became night, we each packed a small rucksack and hiked to a clearing on the crater rim. A buck, two does and a fawn joined us at camp for a bit, but eventually jumped off their own way. A small hole opened to the stars, and eventually our banter yielded to silence. 

The red sunrise was cold, colder than it should’ve been. The orb in the sky failed to shine its warmth through the smoke. But, sunrise signaled it was time to play in the sky clear waters of Mazama’s core. She doesn’t get too many humans visiting her chilly waters, so she begged us inward…