Tonelli's Travels

The beginning of August brought us to our seventh national park, Lassen Volcanic. A drive through the golden mountains of California, along windy roads snaking to and fro, landed us at this dry land teeming with life. We arrived late in the afternoon with dark clouds slowly replacing the sunshine. After a quick stop at the visitor center, we settled in to our campground and warily watched the ominous sky above.

The campground was busy. My site was a shared parking pad and I ending up turning the van around to park nose first so I had a tiny bit of privacy. People seemed accustomed to cutting through campsites here, which did not sit well with us and a few conversations were had with fellow campers. I also had a young boy racing around, timing himself, and hit my van as his turn around point. I kindly asked his parents to ensure he didn’t do that again. While not the solitude that I prefer, it was nice to be in the middle of the park which made exploring convenient.

Our first full day, my dad and I woke early to hike Lassen Peak. It was a brisk morning but the sun was shining and temperatures would be rising soon. The trail zig zagged up the tallest summit in the park, 2.5 miles and 2,000 feet of elevation gain. I’m tired just thinking about it! We were also starting at 8,511 feet above sea level, so the day was set to be a challenge. Slow and steady. As my dad said, the mountain wasn’t going anywhere. So we put one foot in front of the other, tackling one switchback at a time.

Lassen Peak, a plug done volcano, had just a few trees hugging its rocky sides near the base. Most of the hike was wide open, gorgeous views all around. Brokeoff Mountain was the most distinct. It is one edge of the giant mountain that existed before, stretching taller than Lassen Peak and about 12 miles wide. It encompassed the entire area! Until it erupted today. Now we see many smaller (but still large) volcanoes are different variety. Resilient wildflowers also caught out attention, growing around the pumice and loose dacite. Admiring the scenery as we ascended was a good excuse to catch our breath. The air was mighty thin up there!

At last we reached Crater View, but I kept going before my dad could object. Across the snowfield and a scramble up an undefined trail would lead us to the tippy top. Time to go before we thought too long about how tired we were! At the summit we were rewarded with a full circle view. We sat and looked down into the volcanic crater formed from the last explosion thousands of years ago. Beautiful yellows, reds, and grays colored the rocky rim.

As we sat and relaxed, caught our breath, some trail runners who had run down as we were climbing came up for their second lap. Wow. I imagine they were training for some epic race, working on their endurance and lung capacity. I shared words of encouragement as they passed. What a feat!

My dad and I took in a few different views before growing chilly. Both the breeze and clouds were a blessing and a curse. But we had soaked in the beauty enough to be satisfied as headed down the trail. There were many people climbing up at this point, lots of them struggling with the elevation gain. I hope they all made it safely, or decided to turn around.

We got back to the campground early afternoon. Time for a nap, reading, and just hanging out. A full first day.

Our second day, we decided to do a shorter hike. My dad and I were a little tired! So all three of us jumped in the van and drove to the Bumpass Hell Trail to explore thermal activity. What a name, huh? It’s named after a guide, Bumpass, who took tourists out to the thermal field to discuss a potential spa. Just as he was telling people to be careful where they stepped, he fell through the fragile crust and burnt his leg badly. Thus the “hell.” Honestly, he’s lucky he survived. The waters can reached up to 240 degrees F. Yikes!

Despite their danger, they are quite beautiful. The boardwalk took us by fumaroles (steam vents), mudpots, and spring pools. It was somewhat stinky, the sulphuric acid blowing about, but we adjusted to it. The jet engine sounds of the roiling, boiling water and the fantastic colors created by the algae living within were good distractions. We meandered around for a while, taking in the different views.

On our way out people were streaming in, so I was grateful for the early start. I tried to focus on the scenery around me. The hike gave a good view of the Dixie Fire that ravage the area in 2021. While the fire destroy so much, it also created the opportunity for new life. Green bushes and colorful wildflowers were slowly bringing the health of the area back into good standing.

Next we took a trip to the other visitor center, where I learned about Maidu people. They were unfairly pushed out of their ancestral lands as emigrants came to the area. The Park is now working with them to honor their history and culture and implement many of their land care practices. It’s a step.

We finished the day by stopping at Sulphur Works, another thermal spot, before heading back to the campground to soak up the sunshine. Lassen Volcanic has much more the explore, it’s the only area with all four types of volcanoes present, but that’s all we had time for. I’m glad we experience what we did!

And enjoy our attempts at a selfie with the sign. 😂