At the top of a mountain, at 6700', at the edge of a 3000' descent into Indian Valley, lies Crystal Lake. It must be named Crystal because it truly is a gem. It's easy to visit a destination once, take it in, and move on. But by doing that, you may miss the full character of a location. You would only ever keep in your memory one type of lighting, one type of vibe, and potentially miss out on its multiple facets. Prepare yourself for explosions of color.
I visited Crystal Lake on three occasions this late spring and was wowed by how dynamic this place is in regards to lighting and weather. I was fortunate to experience foggy, frigid and exhilarating wanderings in a cloud, to get caught inside of a firestorm sunset, to see the Milky Way arch overhead with the curve of the lake, and to witness the the most beautiful sunrise I have yet seen. This lake is an amphitheater to an ever-changing show.
Standing on the top cliff and looking down into the waters gives a good idea of its depths. The land beneath the surface can be seen close to the shore but then downwards it goes at staggering drop-off. It has been said that research was done at this lake with special dye that ended up leaving traces of the dye being found in Lake Tahoe, insinuating that at the bottom of Crystal Lake is a geological network connecting to Tahoe, 100 miles southeast.
The mystery does not end there. Each time I visited this place, it looked and felt different, like walking in a reoccurring dream. Scroll down to walk along with me and view the many vibes of Crystal Lake. Two day-trips and one fateful overnight that led to a sunrise worth scrolling to the bottom for, and also a chance encounter that can only be highlighted in my next blog post. Like all things, with time, the many facets will be revealed.
The only lake you can "thumbs-up" that will "thumbs-up" you back.
Cold, wet, soggy, soaking, misty and amazing.
This sunset hit with such a force, like being inside of a sunset instead of only watching one.
This was where I prayed that the sunrise would be worth the night of low temps. The prayers would be answered.
Cold hands and hot coffee. Fueling up for the next surprise.
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