CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK It seemed like a peak-bagging kind of day.

Loop trails and river trails have their allure, of course, but on some days a trail with a little altitude helps put things in perspective.

So it was that I found myself placing one foot in front of the other on the steep but well-worn path leading to the top of Mount Scott in Crater Lake National Park, pausing occasionally to take in the ever more astonishing view.

At 8,929 feet, Mount Scott is the highest point in the park and the 10th highest peak in Oregon’s Cascades.

It’s also well suited for my limited climbingskills. It’s a walk-up climb following a good trail, meaning you don’t need any technical climbing gear to attain the summit.

But just because you can leave your ice ax at home, don’t forget to bring some common sense. Mount Scott is tame by mountaineering standards, but like all mountains, it’s pretty indifferent if things start going wrong.

Mount Scott is located in Crater Lake National Park Oregon’s only national park about 130 miles southwest of Bend. There is an entrance fee of $10 per vehicle; a season pass costs $25.

One thing nice about Mount Scott is that there are plenty of options when it comes to choosing a site to set up base camp. You want to be well rested for the final assault.

And that’s exactly how we felt when we left base camp checked out of historic Crater Lake Lodge, that is and drove to the trail head.

The first thing the trail does from its start just off Rim Drive at a glacial cirque is make a long beeline for the other side of the mountain. There it begins a series of switchbacks through stands of whitebark pine, bursts of red and yellow flowers, purple butterflies and the occasional hummingbird.

The trail to the top is 2.5 miles one way and gains 1,479 feet of elevation. It is listed as strenuous by park officials, who estimate the climbing time to the top at three hours.

Hikers in reasonably good condition will cut that time in half. A pretty small expenditure of time considering the payoff at the summit.

Like the rest of the Cascades, morning is preferable for climbing as thunderstorms can sometimes move in during the afternoon. Mount Scott in particular is best climbed early as that means the sun is at your back when gazing down on Crater Lake.

I had my jacket off by the time I reached the second switchback that looks out over a precipice and gave me the first of many impressive views of the stunningly blue Crater Lake.

Crater Lake varies from about five to six miles across and was formed about 7,000 years ago when Mount Mazama erupted. It’s hard for the human mind to grasp the strength of this detonation, but consider that before the eruption, standing atop Mount Scott, you would have had to look up to see the 12,000-foot peak of Mount Mazama.

Now, you look down into the deepest lake (1,958 feet) in the United States where Mount Mazama once towered.

This explosion is believed to have made much of Central Oregon uninhabitable, according to geologists. Mount St. Helens, for example, caused considerable problems in 1980 when it ejected 1.5 cubic kilometers of material.

Mount Mazama ejected 75 cubic kilometers.

I noted no volcanic activity on my hike, fortunately, as I followed the switchbacking trail up past more bursts of wildflowers.

According to geological studies, Mount Scott predates Mount Mazama and witnessed the eruption. Mount Scott itself was much taller before glaciers carved it to its current size during the last ice age. It is named after Captain Levi Scott, a military explorer who came through the region in the 1840s.

This is something of a bonus year for Mount Scott peak baggers. The trail usually isn’t clear of snow until the end of this month, and even then there is a snowfield or two to negotiate.

But last winter saw the third lowest snowfall in the park 279 inches since record keeping began in 1926. That has given hikers a head start this year.

The last switchback brought me to a saddle and a few wind-blasted whitebark pines. I crossed the saddle and then hiked up the final few feet to the summit past an empty fire lookout, astonished to be able to see South, Middle and North Sister lined up more than 100 miles away. Another 100 miles to the south, the white top of Mount Shasta stood sentinel.

Directly west I looked at the exceedingly blue water of Crater Lake, and to the northwest the sharpened point of Mount Thielsen stood out in strong relief.

The term peak bagging has some negative connotations, mainly having to do with a climber being so overly goal oriented that he or she fails to enjoy the sheer fun of being in the mountains.

Even so, when peak bagging as opposed to hiking a river trail or a loop trail, it’s acceptable even human nature to raise your arms in triumph after making that last step that puts you unequivocally on the summit.