The Cascade Chronicle

With the onset of autumn, our family packed our hiking packs and headed north into the Cascade Mountains toward Crater Lake National Park. Formed over 7,700 years ago when Mount Mazama collapsed in a cataclysmic eruption, the caldera today holds the deepest lake in the United States—fed solely by rain and snowmelt, producing an impossibly vivid, cobalt blue that photographs can barely capture.

We spent our first morning ascending Garfield Peak. The 3.4-mile round-trip trail climbs roughly 1,000 feet through stands of mountain hemlock and Shasta red fir, offering panoramic overlooks of Wizard Island and the jagged Phantom Ship rock formation. Crisp autumn air and sunny skies accompanied the trek, and despite the steep switchbacks near the summit, our kids championed every incline with trail mix and wildlife spotting.

As evening shadows lengthened across the caldera rim, temperatures dropped into the brisk thirties. We retreated to the historic Crater Lake Lodge, pulling rocking chairs close to the monumental stone hearth with steaming mugs of spiced cider. Looking over field sketches and trail photos by firelight, we agreed that some places truly live up to every bit of the legend.

Our four backyard fruit trees had their most productive season on record. Over the course of two brisk September afternoons, we harvested just under fifty pounds of Honeycrisp and Gala apples, filling every basket and crate we could find in the garage.

Rather than letting any go to waste, we assembled our vintage-style wooden apple press on the back patio. Turning the screw press by hand became a neighborhood team sport—kids washed and quartered the fruit, while adults managed the press cloth. By sundown, we had bottled seven gallons of sweet, unfiltered cider that tasted distinctly of cinnamon and autumn sunshine.