Crystal Lake is a photograph by Inge Johnsson which was uploaded on August 19th, 2013.
Crystal Lake
Larch trees surround Crystal Lake in the Enchantment Lakes wilderness
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The Enchantments is a series of alpine lakes high up in the Cascade... more
Title
Crystal Lake
Artist
Inge Johnsson
Medium
Photograph - Digital Capture Watermark Not On Actual Print
Description
Larch trees surround Crystal Lake in the Enchantment Lakes wilderness
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The Enchantments is a series of alpine lakes high up in the Cascade Range in Washington state in the Pacific Northwest. The tamarack trees that are typical for this environment turn a golden yellow every fall.
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The Enchantments is an area comprising an upper and a lower basin, the lakes and tarns contained within them, and the peaks of the Stuart Range bounding the basins. The area is located entirely within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness about 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Leavenworth, Washington in the United States. The Enchantments is regarded as one of the most spectacular locations in the Cascade Range. The first European American to discover the area and name it was A.H. Sylvester, topographer for the US Geological Survey and first supervisor of the Wenatchee National Forest. Sylvester visited the middle Enchantment basin and probably did not venture into the upper basin. Snow Creek Glacier covered more of the upper basin at the time than it does today, which may have discouraged him from exploring the higher areas. He is credited with naming some of the features in the region.
By the 1940s climbers discovered the area and began naming the crags. Bill and Peg Stark of Leavenworth, became frequent visitors who drew upon various mythologies to name features of the landscape. When they made their first visit in the fall of 1959, they were captivated by the golden splendor of the larch trees in the fall, the numerous lakes and tarns, and jagged peaks towering above. They used fairy names such as Gnome Tarn, Troll Sink, Naiad Lake (officially Temple Lake), Sprite and King Arthur legends in the Lower Enchantment Basin because "the lower basin was not as austere as the upper basin," according to Peg. They used Norse names and mythology for features of the upper basin, for example Brynhild Lake (officially Inspiration Lake), Lake Freya (officially Tranquil Lake), and Valhalla Cirque because, Peg said, it felt "as if the Ice Age had just gone off."
The official naming rulings of the US Board on Geographic Names in the 1960s resulted in a mixture of two name sets being adopted as official, particularly for the lakes, but also exemplified by the feature popularly known as Aasgard Pass being officially designated Colchuck Pass. Different sources still use the unofficial names in some contexts. The current policy of not adopting new names for geographic features in wilderness areas probably precludes the rest of the names identified by the Starks from achieving official status.
Uploaded
August 19th, 2013
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Comments (53)
Jenny Revitz Soper
CONGRATULATIONS! It is my great pleasure to FEATURE your artwork on the homepage of the group No Place Like Home, 7/09/2023. You are invited to post it in the Group's Features Discussion thread for posterity or any other thread that fits!
Jeff Burgess
Thank you for your submission to the Pacific Northwest Artists (PNA) group. Your artistic creation has been featured on the home page. This art represents the best of us so a well-deserved “congratulations”. For permanence and additional exposure, please place your art piece in the “Discussion” section titled: featured in 2022.
Randy Rosenberger
Your lovely piece of art from your portfolio of beautiful artistic pieces, has been chose to appear as a feature on the homepage of the Wisconsin Flowers and Scenery Group of Fine Art America. I am proud that you have chosen to be a member of our family of friends and fine artists. You will be featured more than most groups feature works, as I change up and work on my homepage each and every day. It is an honor to have you as an active member of our group. Thanks for sharing your lovely pieces of artwork with us.