A Peak Experience

Hat Creek tumbling from Mt. Lassen

2019-10-02 (Wednesday)

We had a wonderful day today in Lassen Volcanic National Park. We definitely timed it right vis-a-vis those winter storms that came through. There is enough snow here to remind us that winter is coming, and the night was cold--definitely below freezing. We were toasty warm, though, and woke up to clear blue skies without a single cloud all day! Joe said he knew it would be clear... we went out last night, after I finished my blog, to look at the stars. It was gorgeous-- at 5,000 feet elevation in the forests of northern California, surrounded by only tiny towns, there is no ambient light from anywhere. The only thing limiting us was the incredibly tall trees- we looked straight up, and our sky was surrounded by trees. But it was all crystal clear then, and this morning too.

Unfortunately, Joe didn’t sleep well, so I left him to try to take a nap around 10:00, while I went to the visitors center for maps and information. I dawdled there, chatting with not-quite-2-year-old Eloise and her mom about what might be a good gift “for the baby” (Eloise helped decide!) Then I stopped at the campground store to see if they had any cereal, but mostly what they had was souvenirs. I finally went home, and discovered Joe, instead of napping, had made our lunch sandwiches for our day exploring Lassen.

So we gathered up everything we needed for a day trip (we even included a thermos of hot tea), and the three of us started across the road which goes through the park. There is only one road, running from north to south, so we knew we’d have to retrace our steps on the way back, but it is only 30 miles, and the ranger in the visitor center assured me we’d have no problem doing it in a day.

Well, it was simply a stunning drive. Our first significant stop was at the “Chaos Crags and Jumbles” scenic pull out-- a rock slide which came down the north side of Mount Lassen. Lassen  erupted several times between 1914 and 1921, so there are many areas where recent  results of volcanic eruption can be seen. The so-called “Devastated Area” is a large area littered with rocks which were thrown from the volcano 5 miles away. There is an interpretive trail through the area, indicating a number of different features in the types of rocks which landed there, as well as photos taken in 1915 after the most significant eruption. Several rocks were labeled “Hot rock” in the photo, as people came up to see them right after the eruption, when the rocks were still warm from the volcano. It must have been astonishing to see and hear at the time.

“Chaos Crags and Jumbles” Rock Slid

We ate our lunch at the picnic area nearby, looking right at the mountain above us, so serene and snow covered now. Then we drove on to the next stop, Hat Creek. There we discovered the creek (same creek we’d sat by yesterday!) rushing merrily over another nearby cascade. This time we could practically see its route from the mountain--not literally, but Mount Lassen was right in line with where we were standing. I took a photo, noting that it was like a postcard!

From there, we spent time noticing the meadows with the streams meandering through them. They must be wonderful in the spring with the wildflowers, but today the contrast between the fields, the water, and the remaining snow was truly special. We’ve never been able to stick around to visit the parks this long after tourist season, and I only wish we could have spent a week here (Joe says I say that at EVERY park! Which is probably true!) Anyway, I think Joe’s favorite sights are the streams and waterfalls, and mine are the meadows, especially with the streams in them. So we were both enthralled by the Hat Creek area.

We had a bigger treat when we drove on to the King’s Creek area. There, we saw King’s Creek wide and gushing downhill. And a few miles further, we saw the same creek just mellow, winding its way through a large meadow with Mount Lassen looming over it in the background. It was simply gorgeous!!!

I think that was really the high point of the drive for us. We went further--first higher up so we got a great view looking over the meadow we’d just visited, and then to the trail head for Lassen Peak hike. This was at 8,500 feet, but at this angle (from the south side of the mountain, and much higher toward the peak), the mountain was much less beautiful. I likened it to getting VERY close next to someone who is a lot taller than you are, and then looking up. Basically all you would see is their chin! All I can say is, this angle did not impress us, and of course we weren’t planning on a strenuous hike farther up, either.

Lake Helen

Overlook above Bumpass Hell

From there we drove past Helen Lake, which WAS beautiful, and then suddenly we were on some extremely winding roads with nothing between us and the spectacular view of the valley and the Cascade Mountains in the distance. Neither of us had the stomach to look over the side! We also stopped at two geothermal areas, Bumpass Hell and Sulphur Works. We had a great view of the valley at the former, but the trail to the mud pots and fumaroles was 1.5 miles each way, and we were long past the time of day when that would have been even remotely do-able for either of us. In fact, when we got to Sulphur Works, Joe just let me jump out and look at it myself--he said, “My legs ache, and I’ve been to Yellowstone.” It is true, Lassen is like a mini-Yellowstone in respect to the geothermal features. Sulpur Works was one really impressive mud pot (bubbling up vigorously) and a lot of steam coming right out of the mountains around. Definitely cool, but not on a scale of Yellowstone.

Fumarole

Then it was my turn to drive us home to give Joe a break. Those winding roads with the steep drop-off were just too much-- I stared at the double-yellow line in the road and drove about 20 miles/hour almost the whole way until we got past that point. Fortunately, it was now late in the afternoon, and the road was almost deserted. Not one person came up behind me for the ENTIRE drive back to our campsite! And I was driving pretty slowly the entire time. It went much faster when we didn’t stop at every place, but I did pull over for one last look at the meadows in the late afternoon sun.

We got back to the RV at 6:00, feeling very fulfilled and happy with our day. The road through Lassen is definitely a beautiful drive, and the mountain itself is lovely. It is maybe not as big as Mount Shasta, but it is special. And thinking that it is still active.... well, we are just glad we were not erupted on! Especially considering that in 1914, three guys were checking out the smoking mountain when it DID erupt! Remarkably, they all survived, but one was pulled out of the ashes after a rock landed on him! So it’s no joke hanging around an active volcano. However, we will be leaving tomorrow... sadly, we are finally driving east. We have to be home 2 weeks from today. I will blog the rest of the trip, but I can’t imagine we’re going to top this last park. Lassen was truly special to us.