August 8
According to the MT, last Friday, Oceanographer Jack Dymond becomes the first person to see the bottom of Crater Lake.
August 13
The 13th running of the Crater Lake Marathon.
6. 7 miles Don Clary, 31, 34:50
13 miles Ric Sayre, 33, of Ashland, OR 1:09:20 (broke 10 year old record)
26 miles Don Stearns, 27, of Bend, OR 2:47:17 (has now won all 3 events) Dawn Welch, 40, of Grants Pass, OR 3:18:22 (new women’s record)
August 14 & 15
Deep Rover locates moss growing in the Lake at 700 feet below the surface, setting a new World’s record for underwater plants, surpassing the old moss depth record of 425 feet.
August
Park Biologist, Mark Buktenica describes the feeling of diving into the World’s deepest lake: “I was sitting alone in Crater Lake, 600 feet underwater in a small submarine name Deep Rover. I had just completed collecting rock samples along an underwater edge of Wizard Island, and I had 135 pounds of rocks in a basket attached to the front of the submarine. Unknown to me at the time, a couple of O-ring seals were leaking throughout the dive. Water seeping through the seals into the submarine, combined with condensation from my breathing, created an uncomfortable amount of water on the floor. My feet were near the front of the vessel, and as I prepared to start to the surface with the rocks, the submarine tilted forward. As the submarine tipped, the water level at my feet rose rapidly, giving the distinct impression that the submarine was filling with water. Garbled and intermittent communications with the surface crew aggravated the situation. Everyone operated expertly and efficiently; Deep Rover and the rock samples were recovered smoothly. Actual dangers and repairs turned out to be minimal, and the submarine dove again the next day.”
(from Crater Lake Nature Notes)
Diving to the deepest part of the Lake: By Mark Buktenica, Park Biologist: “I had the distinct privilege of conducting 17 dives in Deep Rover. As I slowly sank into the depths of the lake, I was engulfed in blue which eventually turned to darkness. The only sounds in the submarine were the creaking and popping of the hull as it adjusted to the increasing pressure and the persistent hum of the carbon dioxide scrubbers cleaning the air. The journey to the bottom could take up to 30 minutes, during which time my personal fears were easily extinguished by the intrigue and demands of the work. After reaching the bottom on my dive to the deepest part of Crater Lake, I shut off the scrubbers and instrument lights to better experience the solitude and quiet, and to briefly reflect on being the first person to visit the deepest part of the lake. After several moments, I looked up through the clear acrylic hull and noticed that the dive flag mounted on top of the submarine was visible, and silhouetted against a slightly lighter background. At 1,932 feet in depth my eyes could detect the vague light from the surface, a surprising testament to Crater Lake’s incredibly clarity. Yet there was little time for introspection. With less than six hours allowed per dive, I was fully occupied with monitoring electrical and life-support systems, operating the submarine, collecting samples, recording observations on tape and film, and communicating with the surface boat via an underwater wireless telephone. Although the submersible was designed to operate instinctively, many of the task I had to perform required extreme concentration and were mentally challenging, physically demanding, and sometimes frustrating. Most of the lake floor is covered by fine sand colored sediments, and operating the sub there was like flying at night over an uncharted desert.
August 15
The Prophecy Fire, burning since July 26 has now covered 20 acres.
August 24
The Prophecy Fire grows from 105 acres to 1,000 acres in one afternoon. By the time it was declared controlled on August 31, the fire-fighting costs ballooned to $700,000. The fire was declared officially dead on December 1, 1988.
August 25
Entrance fees to all National Parks are suspended for one day. Charles Odegaard, regional director, dedicates the old superintendent’s residence as a National Historic Landmark.
Summer
30 natural fires were suppressed. Two natural fires are allowed to burn covering 7.6 acres. One prescribed burn of 14 acres.
October 29
A hiker along the Pacific Crest Trail discovers the body of Douglas Cracker, one half mile north of Hwy 62. Cracker had died of a single shot to the head. In tracing Cracker’s movements, rangers discover that the young man had left his home in California on August 22 and later stayed in a Klamath Falls motel on the nights of October 7 & 8. On October 9, the motel managers drove him to Fish Lake so that he could hike the PCT, north. When no further word was received from him by October 19, the managers reported Cracker missing. Cracker was seen in the Rim Cafeteria on October 20. That afternoon he began hiking south on the Dutton Creek Trail. He set up camp on the PCT and stayed there one or two days before committing suicide. A note was found in his wallet. Between October 20 and 29 a black bear found the body and dragged it downslope. Ranger McGuinness and Van Horn were the first rangers to respond to the hiker’s report, but they had to call for assistance when they determined that the bear was present nearby. The retrieval operation pretty much killed the Park’s Halloween party that Saturday night.
November 11
A five-person research team is trapped on Wizard Island for a week by heavy storms. 50 mph winds kept the helicopter grounded.
December 1
Three structures in Rim Village are listed on the National Register of Historic Structures. Two of the buildings had been slated for removal. This complicates the plans for Rim development.
December 20 – 23
Brian Smith, 18, of Jacksonville, Oregon is trapped by a blizzard for four days behind Button Cliff, while attempting to ski around Crater Lake. It took Smith six hours to ski east out to the Dutton area, and three days to ski back to Headquarters. Stove froze, no water or hot food.
1988 Fiscal year
Park budget set at $1.7 million
Season Visitation: 473,669
