Black Crater – Dramatic Landscapes

I was struck by the different landscapes.  At first, it’s kind of eerie how burnt out the area is.  But keep going and you see a few wildflowers, then grass and green trees.  Toward the top, you look in one direction you see trees for a long, long way and the other you see Mt. Washington to the north and Middle and North Sister to the south.  There were a couple of snow fields that were a little challenging close to the top but passable.  I brought my yaktrax but didn’t use them.  Then there’s black and red lava at the top and a scenic place for pictures in every direction.  Cool hike!