August 24

I hiked across Crater Lake rim starting at about 4:50 am to get some good long shutter pictures and early sunrise shots. The results were so great and worth every minute I spent hiking the out and back of about 5 miles. It's a beautiful lake and mostly accessible by vehicle which could be the reason for all the strange looks from people as we have been walking around with our packs on. We had a huge breakfast at the lodge and spent the morning on the deck over Crater Lake enjoying the sun and the views. Around noon we headed down the trail 4 miles to Mazama Village to catch our ride out of the park and into town. We met our friends there and ended up going back up to the rim with them to show another the lake who had just arrived from southern California on a road trip. We had a great time this evening with more great friends and even though I look forward to being on the trail again, I have enjoyed my stop.