A SIDE TRIP

WHEN SNOW CLOSES THE ROAD

        As noted in an earlier post, our mid July trip to Lassen Volcanic National Park

was punctuated by the closure of about 5 miles of Highway 89, the road through the park.

Snow, said to be like steel, was still being cleared, so to see the northern portions of the 

park, we took a side trip. 

      We had the chance to explore areas of northern California, when we went "off the map."  

       It is a beautiful area and by lacing through back roads, county roads, and local routes

we were able to work west and then north to get into the north entrance without driving

all the way to Redding and Red Bluff.  It gave us marvelous views and a chance to see places like Manton, Shingletown, Old Station and Mineral.

      After passing through Mineral, we took Lanes Valley Road to the north.  There we saw a beautiful stone wall, the stones probably a product of volcanic earth activity.

       The area is called Soap Butte, south of Black Butte and Wildcat Road.

The topography was changed and the area was more arid.

      I was struck by the solitary quality of a standing chimney, from a long lost outpost of life.

      A magnificent side trip inside the park, from the north entrance, was Summit Lake North, as far as the road had been cleared of snow.  It was an enchanting and relaxing  find.

       A snow blanket beneath the pines at the edge of brilliant blue, sparkling and clear alpine lake.

      Then as we left the park and continued the wide loop taking Highway 89 North

we found a place that is little publicized. The lava tube Subway cave.

This is the environment of the cave.

Even though the National Forest Service, not the National Park System sign says it is easy,

one needs a strong beam flashlight or lantern.

Footing is a little uneven, it is cool and damp and very dark.  Native tribes

discovered the tube, made by lava flow thousands of years ago.  The walk

puts you in touch with a deep history in geologic time and with

native tribal superstition or lore.

I urge people to visit Lassen Volcanic National Park, one of the least visited.

It is a remarkably beautiful, intriguing, educational and fascinating piece of

the United States.

See you down the trail.

FLYING ROCK(s) & ROLL BY THE VOLCANO

EXPLOSIVE POWER

       The explosive history of Mt. Lassen has changed the earth.  Now the center of Lassen Volcanic National Park, the volcano, one of the Pacific Ring of Fire in the Cascade Range,

has left a legacy that displays the power of a still cooking earth.

       Areas of the national park are testament to what happens when a volcano begins

reshaping the contour of the land.

       400 to 600 thousand years ago, ancestral Brokeoff Volcano erupted. It changed the mountain range profile.  In May of 1914 one of the vent mountains near Brokeoff, Lassen Peak, began three years of sporadic eruptions.  President Teddy Roosevelt and the US Congress made the area a national monument and then National Park in 1916.  

       This is Hot Rock-a 300 ton rock that was part of a 110 mile per hour avalanche that followed the May 1915 eruption.  This rock rolled 5 miles after the explosion. 

      This is in an area called Chaos Jumbles.  These rocks and stones were also blown or scattered by avalanche.  The peak is a plugged dome volcano.  As magma pressure welled up, the crater was plugged, so pent up gas shattered the lava cap and sent mountain, rock and debris flying in an extraordinary explosion.  Ash and debris reach 30,000 feet into the California sky.

       After almost 100 years, you can see that here in Chaos Jumbles, some life is returning.

     Pictured below is an area on the mountain side at a lower elevation called The Devastated Area, miles of devastation. In some of the lower areas also life is coming back.

     But much of the peak is still barren.

     Elsewhere you see other large boulders that were moved by force.

       The BF Loomis Museum and Visitors Center is a beautiful construction of local

rock.

     The stones and rocks are just one more resource and bit of wonderment available

at Lassen Volcanic National Park.

See you down the trail.

MOUNTAIN MEADOWS

CONTRASTING PASTURES

     The 10 thousand foot Mt Lassen Peak, still showing signs of the devastation brought on by the eruption in 1915, is a rugged visage.  This southern most volcano in the Cascade Range that runs into Canada, is the center piece of the beautiful Lassen Volcanic National Park.
      Tucked in valleys on the slopes of Lassen and neighboring mountains are pockets of green, Alpine meadows and pastures.

       I find mountain meadows to be almost hypnotically tranquilizing.  They are peaceful, serene and exude a quiet relaxation that seems to suspend time.

       Tucked in the south east entrance to the park is a jewel, Drakesbad.  Edward Drake
settled in the valley in 1880 offering hospitality to campers including hot springs baths.
The Alexander Sifford family camped there, got to know Drake and convinced him to make the area a rustic spa.  Eventually the Sifford family owned and operated what they called
Drakesbad until the 1960's.  It is still a guest ranch, in the national park and offers
one of the most serene and beautiful meadows in the mountains.  Hiking trails abound.

     In some of the meadows you can see large rocks, placed there by volcanic activity.

      Some of the meadow scenes seem to define the word idyllic. 

     I was surprised to Cama Lilly or wild Hyacinthe in bloom.  In the Midwest local tribes would sometimes fight over the tuber.  They were a special medicine and/or a food. In the Lassen area mountain Maidu made their summer camps in these meadows.  I wonder if they too valued the beautiful spring bloom?

         Another healthy "crop" in the Drakesbad area is Corn Lilly.  Spring is still blooming even in July in the Lassen area and no where is it more vibrant than in the mountain meadows.

If you get to Lassen, make a point to spend time at Drakesbad. Some of the
guest ranch patrons are veterans of annual trips. 
At least, have a meal and enjoy the beautiful meadows.
See you down the trail.

HOT MOMMA EARTH

SHE IS STILL COOKING

      From a distance, Mt. Lassen's serene beauty hides its explosive history and active

volcanic life. Lassen Peak is one of the ring of fire and resides in the Cascade Range in Northern California.  In the frame above you can see a vestige of ancestral Brokeoff

Volcano that was active 400,000 to 600,000 years ago.  Lassen blew it's top less than 100 years ago.  It was extraordinarily active from 1915 through 1916.  It is the world's largest plug dome volcano and rises to an elevation of 10,457 feet and is still alive.

   Visitors to Lassen Volcanic National Park, can get to areas where you see evidence of

a still "cooking mother earth."  There are several places hydrothermal activity is obvious.

Bumpass Hell, Little Hot Springs, Boiling Springs Lake, Devils Kitchen and Sulphur Works are self descriptive.  This is from Sulfur works, where a sulfur steam boils up and jets into the air.

      The areas are well posted as dangerous. The steam escaping the vents can exceed 300 degrees.

     There are places where the earth boils in a thick gooey clay like substance.      

       At Devils Kitchen, the escaping sulfur steam sounds like a humming engine. This area is reachable by a beautiful hike starting at Drakesbad near southeastern entrance to the park.

       It is astounding to hear the boiling away. It is a bit intimidating, standing so close to such power under pressure.

     Walking over this little stream of hot sulfur water was like stepping through a sauna.

Surprising  given the meager amount of water flowing in the narrow stream.

      Some of the thermal crust and stones show a coloring from the years of activity.

      There is a constant change underway on the mountain and in the park.  The US

Geological Survey and the National Parks service do continual monitoring and investigations.  The park is a laboratory in that way, a place where the volcanic life of this still growing planet earth can be observed. You can not observe these forces at work and be left unimpressed or in awe.

      See you down the trail.