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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 10, 2019)
C4 EAT, DRINK & EXPLORE East Oregonian Saturday, August 10, 2019 Crater Lake lives up to the hype By MAKENZIE WHITTLE Bend Bulletin BEND — A “whoop” rang out from the hillside of Hillman Peak on the rim of Crater Lake, echoing through the area. Before the sound had a chance to sub- side, a skier began speeding down to a person below — and source of the whoop — waiting just above the timberline. With wide zig-zags and one after the other, the two skiers had careened their way down the peak, the icy crust of the snow crunched with each curve. There’s no ski patrol here, no ski lift to take people to the top. The hillside is owned by those who bother to climb it. Dark clouds hung above the skiers and began to spit a rain-snow mix at onlookers below. “No thanks!” one woman chuckled as she held her jacket a little tighter. While not common at the end of June, backcountry skiing isn’t unheard of in Crater Lake National Park. With an average annual snowfall of 43 feet, the park is one of the snowiest inhabited places in the country, according the park’s seasonal newsletter. The park is open year-round and is a spectacular sight to see at any time — barring clouds within the caldera don’t obstruct the view — but access varies depending on snowfall. The crystal azure waters have beckoned tourists since word of the lake entered the state and national consciousness in the 1850s, though knowledge of the lake has been passed through the local Native American tribes and their ancestors for millennia. For a place that in the 1850s took days to access, the lake continues to entice. The 1,932-foot-deep lake is the deepest in the coun- try with up to 100 feet of clarity, making it also one of the clearest. The park is located on more than 183,000 acres of land, which includes the famous lake, moun- tains, peaks and buttes, streams, springs, a bog and geo- logical wonders, like the Pinnacles and Pumice Des- ert, dozens of hiking trails, historic buildings, including the picturesque Crater Lake Lodge, and the promise of adventure to all who seek it. Adventure is out there Crater Lake National Park is host to 90 miles of hik- ing trails including a 33-mile section of the 2,653-mile Pacifi c Crest Trail. It’s not hard to spot a thru- hiker taking on the trail that runs through the West Coast from Mexico to Can- ada. Many take a well-earned break at the Annie Creek Restaurant or the Camp Store at the south entrance of the park. With their packs and sticks resting on the side of the building, they cling to packages addressed with their name followed by “PCT Hiker.” If hikers are in need of a shower, they can use the facilities at the Mazama Campground next to the restau- IF YOU GO Where: Crater Lake National Park 332 miles southwest of Pendleton via Interstate 84 to Biggs Junction, then south on U.S. Highway 97 Cost: $25 summer entrance fee for noncommercial vehicles $15 winter entrance fee for noncommercial vehicles $20 motorcycles $12 bicycles and pedestrians Passes are good for seven days $50 annual pass, includes entry to Lava Beds National Monument, California America the Beautiful Annual Interagency Pass accept- ed Contact: www.nps.gov/crla or 541-594-3000 TravelCraterLake.com Photo Crater Lake Lodge’s entrance in the front of the lodge that was fi rst built in 1915. By the 1980s it had fallen into such disrepair that many of the walls had gaps, some- times feet wide, at the joint. The lodge was then com- pletely renovated in 1995 while keeping in the same aes- thetic and look as the classic structure. rant and store. There are 14 named and marked trails by the National Park Service, all varying in length and diffi culty, each one offering a little something different for the casual traveler. Garfi eld Peak and Mount Scott roll out some of the highest and best views of the park. Each is moderate to strenuous depending on the ability of the hiker and each climbs hundreds of feet in elevation. The peaks also offer views of the park, lake and surrounding Rogue National Forest as well as vistas beyond. Crater Lake encompasses less than 10% of the park. Old-growth forest surrounds and comprises a majority of the park land. Within these forests are the headwa- ters of the Rogue River (at Boundary Springs), water- falls, creeks and ancient glacial valleys carved before the mountain blew that now look like notches on the rim of the caldera. A 6-mile road off the East Rim Drive leads to the Pinnacles, an overlook and short hiking trail along the park boundary at Sand Creek. The overlook and start of the trail highlight the strange spires that rise out the base of the canyon. These beige and gray volcanic vents, called fumaroles, were formed before the mountain here collapsed to form the lake we know today. Gases escaping from beneath the ash fl ow settled above and welded it together to form a kind of pipe. Eventually the creek eroded away the ash and left these hard and erosion-resistant spires behind. Despite the park containing these otherworldly-look- ing features, the lake is still the main draw and, while the caldera rim looks impenetrable, there is one way down. Cleetwood Cove Trail is a strenuous 1.1 mile trail to the water’s surface. Its steep terrain with a few switch- backs make sure-footedness and good back and knee conditioning paramount to the eventual climb back up. The descent is, however, worth it. Cleetwood Cove is one of two locations in the park visitors can swim in the frigid waters of Crater Lake. The other is next to the boat launch at Wizard Island. Those braving a plunge are limited to the fi rst 100 yards from shore and standard swim wear or regular clothing are allowed — no wetsuits, goggles or fi ns. If staying dry is more desirable, visitors can also catch a boat tour from the cove. The Standards Lake Cruise putters around the lake for two hours, highlighting the features within the cal- dera including Phantom Ship, a 400,000-year-old lava island, the Old Man, a 100-year-old hemlock trunk that fl oats upright around the lake, and more. The Wizard Island Cruise combines the Standard Cruise with a full stop at Wizard Island so visitors can hike to the top, picnic, swim or fi sh. There is also a Wizard Island shuttle that sails directly to the island. Anglers can expect to fi nd rainbow or kokanee at the end of their line. There is no limit and no permit required to fi sh the lake, just the bravery to hike to the shore and try and fi nd a spot to fi sh on the limited shoreline. Or, stick to the land. The 33-mile Rim Drive fully opened on July 11. Travelers can drive the entire loop, stopping at one of 36 pullouts overlooking the lake, many constructed when the park was fi rst created. The drive is breathtaking; every curve and point to pause offers a different perspective on the caldera and its steep walls that rise from 500 to 2,000 feet above the lake’s surface. Dotted at times with hemlocks, rock slides of scree and jagged rock faces of the walls plummet into the water, leaving little to no shoreline — reminders that these are the innards of an ancient volcano. Travel Oregon Photo A view of Wizard Island, a cinder cone rising about 763 feet from the surface of the water. The butte was formed shortly after the formation of the caldera and sits on top of a larger volcano that now sits below the lake’s surface. Healthy breakfast on a busy school morning? It’s not so hard By MELISSA RAYWORTH Associated Press GARDEN CITY, N.Y. — Breakfast, as you may have heard, is the most important meal of the day. That’s espe- cially true for kids returning to school, who need fuel for energy and learning. But serving a healthy breakfast can feel like one more challenge for parents trying to get themselves and their kids out the door on time. Never fear. With a bit of planning, breakfast can be a great opportunity to get dairy, fi ber, fruits and even vegetables into a child’s diet. And it doesn’t have to be complicated. “It’s not like there’s one perfect breakfast,” says Jes- sica Jaeger, a registered dietitian at Adelphi Univer- sity in Garden City, New York. Just try to include a mix of proteins, complex carbs from whole grains and healthy fats. “This helps stabilize blood sugar and appetite,” Jaeger says. Diane Dembicki, an associate professor of nutri- tion who works with Jaeger at Adelphi, suggests involv- ing kids in decision making, and even in prep work the night before. Avoid the packaged fro- zen breakfast sandwiches and “breakfast bars” that have names that suggest nutrition but are often high in sugar and fat, Dembicki says. A few strategies for plan- ning good breakfasts on school mornings: Eggs can be easy Try make-ahead egg cups or breakfast burritos. Kirsten Clodfelter, a mom of three from Louisville, Kentucky, does meal prep on Sundays with the help of her oldest, who is 7. They scramble eggs with a vari- ety of chopped add-ins (sau- sage with diced onion and peppers, or perhaps bacon and spinach), and then put the eggs in a tortilla with a bit of cold cheese and wrap it in foil (for reheating in AP Photo/Melissa Rayworth Nutritionists say a bowl of oatmeal with fresh fruit added will give kids a dose of whole grain and vitamins on school morn- ings, and to save time it can be made the night before in a Mason jar or slow-cooker. the oven the next morning) or plastic wrap (for reheat- ing in the microwave), and freeze it. You can cut the burrito in half for little kids. Choose whole-grain torti- llas or fl atbread. Another make-ahead option: Fill the cups of a muffi n tin with a mix of egg, veggies and meat, then bake. Once they’ve cooled, pop them out and freeze or refrigerate the individ- ual egg cups. Then quickly microwave them at break- fast time, served with a piece of fresh fruit. Grains can be quick Try topping whole-grain toast or a whole-grain waf- fl e with natural nut butter, sliced bananas or other fresh fruit on top, and perhaps a drizzle of honey. Use natural peanut butter or another natural spread, rather than a brand that’s high in sugar. “I found that starting my kids early with natural peanut butter meant they really didn’t ask for the sweeter stuff,” says Sarah Shemkus, of Gloucester, Massachusetts. Dembicki also recom- mends avocado, which has healthy monounsaturated fat and is high in vitamins. Consider a quick avocado toast on whole-grain bread, served with a hard-boiled egg and piece of fruit. Another whole-grain option: overnight oats made in a Mason jar, or oatmeal set up the night before in a slow-cooker. Let kids choose their ingredients, including fruits and nuts. By fl avoring the oatmeal yourself rather than buying prefl avored, the sugar is kept low. For kids who prefer a cold breakfast, try Greek yogurt with fl axseed, gra- nola and fresh fruit mixed in, and perhaps a bit of honey. Hard-boiled eggs also go well with this. Some families pack an entire breakfast into a blender to create smooth- ies. Fresh fruit, yogurt or milk, peanut butter and even greens can go in. Clodfelter got her kids to embrace spinach in smoothies by adding it to a berry blend and calling them “Christ- mas smoothies,” since the green fl ecks of spinach were combined with red berries. Or bake healthy muf- fi ns in advance. Search for recipes with plenty of fruit or nuts and whole grains. Make a large batch and freeze them. Veggies can be hidden in many muffi n rec- ipes, and are front-and-cen- ter in recipes like carrot-rai- sin muffi ns. And don’t forget din- ner for breakfast: Not every kid likes typical American “breakfast foods,” and that’s fi ne, Dembicki says. If they have favorite dinner meals, make extra and pack left- overs in small containers for easy reheating the next morning.
