Why Is Crater Lake So Blue?

by Michael LaLumiere

Thousands of years ago, the peak of volcanic Mount Mazama erupted, and then fell back into itself, creating a giant crater. The crater slowly filled with rain and melted snow to become one of the deepest, bluest lakes in the world. In this pristine setting, Sam Hunter thinks he has won the lottery when he lands a job as a seasonal maintenance worker at Crater Lake National Park. The work won t be glamorous, so he plans to hunker down, earn next year s college tuition and read a few books in his spare time. But when Hunter reports on his first day, a June blizzard is raging. Finding his lodgings buried under a snow bank and filled with snow, he is ordered to dig out the cabin. Doubts about the uneventful summer he d planned swirl in his head. Within weeks an antiquated sewer system, greed and selfishness combine to shut down Crater Lake the first time a U.S. National Park closed during the height of tourist season. Amidst finger-pointing, conspiracy theories and shared, tragic secrets, Hunter witnesses the discrepancy between what people say they value and what they will do to protect it. Eventually he must make a decision that means leaving his safe role as observer and putting his life in danger. Against the backdrop of actual events in 1975, Michael LaLumiere shares the humorous, poignant tale of Hunter s youthful and anguished choices. You ll enjoy the keen, self-deprecating wit of the author, along with his straight-as-an-arrow insight into what makes people tick and what forces may converge to close down a major national park.

330 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2007