Crater Lake!
Big day! First NP of the trip! Crater Lake NP!
The park was partially closed for the season due to snow so you could only get in on the south side. But we weren’t gonna let any snow stop us from seeing the purdy lake! We set our sights on Garfield peak! After a quick stop at the visitor center for some goodies and to watch a movie on the formation of the lake, we set off on our hike!
I brought my snow shoes not really knowing what to expect but thankfully it had been busy enough where I could just walk in the steps of the people before me! It was quite a bit of elevation gain but it was so worth it! It was nice getting a little taste of winter since I’m traveling south it might be the most snow I will get but we will see!
The plant I picked to study was Arctostaphylos nevadensis, or the pinemat manzanita, a low-growing shrub that was all over Garfield Peak. I even got to see some berries. The manzanita’s flowers are beautiful and bell-like! This species is found from Washington to California in rocky, well-drained soils and belongs to the Ericaceae family (heaths and heathers) along with blueberries and huckleberries. The berries are supposed to be edible, but I’m not that confident in my identification yet, so I didn’t try any trail snacks!
Here are some bonus photos from a river gorge found just down the hill from Crater Lake that was formed by the same volcano!
The Fools Journeys 
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