Umpqua National Forest

Crater Lake

Our next adventure has us leaving the confines of California once again and making our way up to the Pacific Northwest. The main purpose of this particular Expedition is to search for and document more examples of Klamath Tribe Petroglyphs with the purpose of turning in our research so they can be both saved but also protected from potential vandals.

In addition to this work, We'll be hitting a trail or two- Blue Canyon/Smith Rock & Sand Creek Pinnacles.. then if we have time for another, it'll be the Pelican Butte trail. We'll have to balance our trail-time with other activities- Wen wants to try her hand at fishing the Crater in hopes of a fresh-caught dinner... or two-

Will Oregon ever be the same?

DESTINATIONS:

Crater Lake and Umpqua National Forest OREGON

Crater Lake is a caldera lake located in the south-central region of the state. It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and famous for its deep blue color and water clarity.

It's dimensions are 5mi x 6mi. The lake partly fills a nearly 2,148-foot (655 m)

deep caldera that was formed

around 7,700 (± 150) years

ago by the collapse of the

volcano Mount Mazama.

Human interaction is

traceable back to the indigenous

Native Americans witnessing the eruption of Mount Mazama.

There are no rivers flowing

into or out of the lake; the

evaporation is compensated

for by rain and snowfall at a

rate such that the total

amount of water is replaced

every 250 years. At 1,943 feet

(592 meters), it is the deepest lake in the United States, and the seventh deepest in the world.

The Umpqua National Forest, in southern Oregon's Cascade mountains is sort of a hidden-gem in the California Nat'l Forest System- it has relatively few visitors when compared with the others, and boasts some truly spectacular features.

The Umpqua covers an area of one-million acres (4,000 km2) in Douglas, Lane, and Jackson Counties, and borders Crater Lake National Park.

Two translations of the word "umpqua" are "thundering waters" and/or "across the waters".

Hemlock, true fir, Douglas-fir and cedar transition to lower elevation forests of mixed conifers and hardwoods. Valleys of ponderosa and oak separate the 9,182-foot (2,799 m) Mount Thielsen and the 8,363-foot (2,549 m) Mount Bailey. Geologic features include peaks with names like Eagle Rock, Rattlesnake Rock, and Old Man.

As we understand it, Ancestors of the Umpqua, Southern Molalla, Yoncalla, and Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians lived here before Mount Mazama erupted forming Crater Lake nearly 7,000 years ago.

Map - Destination: August 2013

Current Conditions

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During this next adventure we have a crap-load of gear to take a look at for you:

First, we get to geek-out and use the GoPro Hero3 Black Edition. Our destinations and planned activities will make a perfect setting to run the Camera & gear through their paces- we can't wait!

Next, we'll be testing out a new tool in our kit- the Fiskars X7 Hatchet. Fairly-important as we're not taking any wood with us and we'll need to rely on dead/downed fuel.

Our final (and definitely most relaxing) reviews will be to help address one of the major needs of anyone who camps- a reasonably restful base to recuperate on after your day in the wilderness- in other words, mattresses.

This time around we're taking a look at both the Coleman Canyon Airbed Combo, as well as the Coleman SUV Quickbed.

Will this gear stand up to the test of Crater Lake, the Umpqua National Forest, and The WorkMonkeys?

Stay tuned & find out!

Gear

w0rkm0nk3ys

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Situation Update: Oregon Fires

We are monitoring the situation in Oregon carefully as the current wildfire situation there moves forward. We will only proceed with the outing provided it's reasonable to do so.

You can click on the fire links to the left to update yourself on the situation.

/Stay Tuned.