Crater Lake or the Moon

I had the great good fortune of spending five days last week on a road trip with my husband. Through Northern California and into Oregon, we marveled at nature’s beauty, with the redwoods serving as giant exclamation points along the way. A highlight of this trek was seeing Crater Lake. So beautiful. Peaceful. Undisturbed by any negative forces of nature or man. Truly I felt my breath escape when first we came upon this marvel, the deepest lake in the United States.

We spent one day and night exploring the lake environs. There were no crowds, but rather an occasional clump of hikers. Early in the morning, we sat outside with our coffee cups in hand to watch the sunrise. Spectacular. A family of hikers came into view – Mom, Dad, and two teen-age sons. At least it seemed that this was a family. At any rate, the scene was disturbing in that both young men were totally immersed in their hand-held devices - phones, I think. They were totally absorbed. I watched them walk for quite some time. Nary a glance toward the lake. They might as well have been on the moon or walking along a city street or at home in the backyard.

I wonder what was so transfixing as to subvert the experience of being one with nature in this special spot. Or perhaps I do not want to know.