Halloween 2010

...Ross as a one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater.

Happy Halloween!

The Midgard Serpent

I have always been rather fond of Halloween, being a holiday to celebrate monsters and the like. It is Halloween all year in my sketchbook, which I populate with strange beasts. Here is a depiction of the Midgard Serpent, the monstrous snake that encircles the Earth, according to Norse myth. He is Thor's arch-rival, and the two shall battle to the death at Ragnarok, the battle to end the world. (And no, it won't happen in 2012.)

Happy Halloween!

Reflections on Crater Lake 2010, part two: experience and inspiration

Crater Lake remains an awe-inspiring place, whether you are seeing it for the first or the five-hundredth time. Visually spectacular, scientifically unique, sacred from many perspectives. Prompts contemplation among Native Americans on the mystic powers of the waters, and contemplation among white men on the presence of fish, variation in lake level, and whether the lake freezes.

Being a ranger and interpreter, it has been my charge to share the wonders of Crater Lake and the surrounding old-growth forest with the world, through boat tours, trolley tours, guided hikes, talks from the rim, roving interpretation, and campfire presentations.

My iconic ranger photo atop Mount Scott, the highest point in the park, at almost 9,000 feet.
The Klamath call the mountain Muckwulx, “a place where chiefs sleep.” To them, it is a place for vision quests. To tourists, it is the only place where one might fit the entire lake into a camera's viewfinder.

A boat tour, with me at front, visits the waterfalls in Chaski Bay.

The sunset from atop Watchman peak.

The plunge into Crater Lake. The water is *$@#($#*( cold! (I understand if you consider me to be cheating by wearing a wet suit, but for me the suit makes a bit of swimming possible. Without it, one jumps into the lake, and then right back out.)

I managed to get out for one day with the trail crew. It was a rewarding day of clearing for the new Pleakney Falls trail (apologies if I mispelled the name). Turning the volcanic earth of Mt Mazama into a trail, especially one accessible to people with disabilities, is no easy task. We used leverage, technique, and a bit of brute force to clear massive rocks from our path. It is quite rewarding to see a rock go crashing down the hill, after much effort by rock bar and muscle.

Towards the end of my season, we had summer weather in late September (clear and sunny), producing astounding reflections on the lake (to which my photography does not do justice; nonetheless, the view from the Phantom Ship Overlook.)

And thus I conclude my reflections.

My thanks to the unnamed tourists who shot the various photos of me. (The scenery photos are by yours truly, and the trail photos are by Kara Reinhardt.)

In other events, coming up is 10/10/10, a day to take action for a better world, by participating in a local project to mitigate global warming. Find one near you. (I will be aiding the harvest of Wealth Underground Farm in Portland.)

I have now moved to new locations, and so shall my blog. Coming soon... scary drawings, and notes on scarier world events.

Reflections on Crater Lake 2010, part one: art show

My time at Crater Lake has come to an end, once again. I do not know whether I will return, and do not know what I am doing next. I was in a similar situation previous two times I made my exodus from this grand park. There is some sadness every time I turn in my badge and radio, and a combination of reflecting on the past and contemplating the future.

This season has been short (only a little over three months) but busy. Especially since August, I have been going almost non-stop. Among my many projects in this short time: the first-ever Crater Lake National Park staff art show. (First-ever as far as I know, anyway.)

I took the lead in organizing, with instrumental guidance and assistance from our dynamo of an Education Coordinator, Linda Hilligoss. Twelve staff artists displayed work in the show. Over 600 park visitors attended, by a very conservative estimate. Our efforts were documented in the Herald and News of Klamath Falls.

I was simultaneously honored to have my own work on display, and impressed that there was so much artistic talent in our staff. Once I announced my intentions across park headquarters, the artists started coming out of the woodwork, with captivating images to show me. To name a few: Fire Management Officer Greg Funderburk had mystical-looking photos of Crater Lake in the winter, with Wizard Island covered in snow and the lake shrouded in fog. Ranger Dave Harrison had skillfully rendered watercolor paintings of scenes from the coast. Lesley McClintock, an art teacher from California who volunteered this summer as a ranger at Crater Lake, had accurate and attractive illustrations of the park's geologic features and wildlife (including the spotted owl on our NPS flyer above; the Raven over Crater Lake is by yours truly.) I hope that the art show becomes an annual tradition.

Ross Wood Studlar and his artwork

My personal Artist Statement for this show:

“At Crater Lake, one is awed by the forces of nature. Volcanoes, glaciers, earthquakes, blizzards, lightning storms and forest fires have all left their mark upon this landscape, and made it what it is today. The mythic beasts of my illustrations interpret the powers of nature metaphorically. I take some inspiration from Native American Legends, as native peoples are great interpreters of earth's might and wonder. On display is the three-part “Llao vs Skell,” an interpretation of the Klamath Legend on how Crater Lake formed. Also there are scenes from my book The Raven and The Crayfish. It is an original story that re-envisions the mythic guardian of Crater Lake. My “Thunderbird Over Crater Lake” is inspired by a lightning storm which sent I and a boat full of tourists to hide in the shelter on Wizard Island. “The Unlucky Pika” is a tribute to the cute but heat-intolerant member of the rabbit family. With Global Warming, the Pika's survival is in question. My drawings are pen-and-ink or scratchboard, which I scan and modify digitally.”

"Thunderbird Over Crater Lake"


Coming up, some reflections on the season as a whole, to conclude my recent string of Crater Lake-related posts.

Ross meets the Klamath tribe

Lahoma Schonchin of the Klamath tribe and Ross Wood Studlar of the white men,

Ross having presented his book The Raven and The Crayfish, which is inspired by Klamath legends.

Photo by Ranger Dave Harrison, used with permission.

The Crater Lake Trust hosted a special Family Fun Day on September 25th, 2010, which featured drummers, dancers, and storytellers from the Klamath tribe. It took place at the rim of Crater Lake.

The Trust hailed the NPS to recruit a Ranger to give a short presentation on the lake's geology and scientific significance, to complement the Klamath perspective. By the luck of schedule, that honor was assigned to me. I welcomed the opportunity to meet the first denizens of the Crater Lake region, and to share with them my Raven and Crayfish, which is so inspired by their stories. (I have met Klamath folks a few times before and listened to their perspective, but have never been brave enough to share my artistic interpretations with them... until now.)

I introduced myself to the public as follows....

“Hello I'm Ranger Ross, and before I begin my talk I must say that I am honored to have members of the Klamath tribe here. They are the true discoverers of Crater Lake, and the first people to inhabit this area. Although their perception of Crater Lake and that of most members of the National Park Service may not be the same in every detail, there is an underlying theme in common. Both parties see Crater Lake as a very special place. I would even go so far as to say that we, like the Klamath, see Crater Lake as a sacred place. I have long been fascinated by the Klamath stories about this landscape, just as much as I am with its geology and biology. I share their stories with visitors wherever I can. I have even drawn illustrations to their stories. I even wrote a book, my story about Crater Lake, which borrows elements from some of theirs. Ordinarily, when I do my presentation about the origins of Crater Lake, I give the Klamath perspective as well as the geology. But today, since the Klamath people are here to speak for themselves, I will omit the former. And without further ado, I present the origin of Crater Lake, according to geologists....”

I told the tale of how Mt Mazama became Crater Lake, and then turned things over to the Klamath. Lahoma Schonchin commented on the special significance of Crater Lake to the Klamath tribe, and introduced the performers. Then commenced the drumming and dancing. The ages of the Klamath people involved in the festivities ranged from three to senior citizens. The dancers wore their traditional regalia.

During the intermission of the dancing and drumming, Lynn Schonchin, a senior member of the tribe and father of Lahoma, took the stage and noted that he appreciated my presentation and it was interesting, but that he would tell the real story of how Crater Lake formed. His story was a version of “Coyote in Love with a Star.” He also commented on the sacredness of Crater Lake's water, and his people's traditions of drinking it for strength.

I have not yet heard any two Klamath people tell exactly the same story about the formation of Crater Lake. My favorite Klamath legend is “The Origin of Crater Lake” as it appears in Indian Legends of the Pacific Northwest by Ella Clark. This story was originally recounted by the Klamath Chief Lalek to the young white soldier Willam Colvig in 1865. It tells of the battle of the ages between the Chief of the Below World and the Chief of the Above World... and has AMAZING parallels to the geologic explanation for how Crater Lake formed. Not all Klamath stories are as close to the geology, but most have one notable thing in common... they describe a high mountain, which collapsed into the ground to create a gaping hole, which filled with water to become Crater Lake. Geologists long debated whether Mt Mazama blew apart or fell into the ground, and finally concluded that the mountain “fell in”--just as in the legends.

After the ceremonies, I presented one of my Raven and Crayfish to the Klamath folks. They were enthusiastic to receive it. I shall find out if they have any especial comments.

Notably, my book now has an ISBN number. It is 978-0-615-38888-5

The Rime of the Phantom Ship

Phantom Ship photo © 1999 Benjamin Zingg of Switzerland, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license


If ever you visit Crater Lake National Park in the summer, a boat tour is highly recommended; it provides a unique perspective on the lake. I know firsthand, having guided a few hundred tours.

The Phantom Ship is among the lake's most spectacular features when viewed from the water.

Inspired by the Phantom Ship and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, I have composed the poem below. I share this poem on my tours, when we visit the Ship.


The Rime of the Phantom Ship

Looking forward, I behold a something in the lake.
At first it seems a little speck,
and then it seems a mist.
It vanishes, returns and takes at last
A certain shaped I wist.

A speck, a mist, a shape I wist.
And still we neared and neared.
Like moths to flame, we are drawn to see,
the mysterious phantom ship.

Spires like sails, the ship prevails
over the deep blue lake
Without a breeze, without a sail
its shadow makes the heart shake

400,000 years old,
the eldest in the caldera,
these rocks do tower,
At the base of Mazama they did stand
in the mountain's final hour.

One after one, by the smoke-filled sky
Too quick for groan or sigh,
The surrounding rocks crumbled and cracked,
and cursed me with their cry.

In two great landslides, the surrounding rocks,
too loud for sigh or groan,
with deafening crash, into the ground,
They dropped down all at once.

The Phantom Ship, betwixt the landslides
Survived the boom.
In subsequent epochs,
the wind and rain have shaped its craggy loom.

Its walls are steep, and hot and dry
And yet, life persists
Growing upon these grand spires
seven species of tree exist
A point of fascination, to any botanist.

Lichens and penstemons also grow,
the pink flowers they do thrive
Upon the Phantom Ship, between the lake and sky.

Gramercy! I cry! Violet green swallows
on ­the spires!
They fly and dive, in green and glossy black,
They coil and turn, and ever track
is a flash of golden fire.

O happy living things! No tongue
Their beauty might declare:
A spring of love gushes from my heart
And I bless them unaware.
Sure my kind saint takes pity on me,
for I bless them unaware.

the mariner and the water snakes, one of Gustave Doré's illustrations to Coleridge's
Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The poem and the illos are now in the public domain.

Ranger Art Show at Crater Lake August 22nd

Beyond the Blue: Interpretations of Crater Lake

Community House, Rim Village, Crater Lake National Park
10 am - 5 pm FREE

All artwork by Park Employees!

This special show illuminates the "off hours" creativity of the Crater Lake National Park Rangers.

Features work by over a dozen ranger artists, including Ross Wood Studlar, Lesley McClintock, Dave Harrison, Mike Cook, Carole Holomuzki, and many more.

Made possible by the Crater Lake Science and Learning Center.