Saturday 1 September 2018 Today we drive 34 miles to the north side of Lassen Volcanic Park to climb Cinder Cone, our 3rdvolcano in as many days. This is a 7 mile loop hike, up the cinder cone, around its inner and outer rim, then down the opposite side, past the Ah-ah lava and the Painted Dunes and back to where we began. It seems as if it should be
Friday 31 August 2018 Lassen Peak is approximately 27,000 years old. Prior to that layers of lava from Tehama built up the mountain to a level about even with today’s trailhead parking area, this according to a display near the start of the hike. Then a vent opened up allowing lava to pile up into the 2000 foot dome O and I have decided to climb today. We actually manage
Thursday 30 August 2018 Brokeoff Mountain is the eroded remains of an ancient volcano named Mount Tehama. From its summit several other peaks which were once part of the volcano can be viewed. An imaginary line linking them all together shows the enormous size of the peak.Tehama was 11 miles across and 11,500 feet high. It was active approximately 500,000 years ago. Brokeoff Mountain is 9,235 feet high. The climb
Wednesday 29 August 2018 Bumpass Hell is the usual geothermal attraction at Lassen, but this year it is closed for trail renovation, Devil’s Kitchen is the recommended alternative hike. The trailhead is a 2 hour drive from our campsite on the southern end of the park. One must drive out of Lassen, into the town of Chester and then proceed to the Warner Valley trailheads which are, of course, up
Tuesday 28 August 2018 The temperature this morning is a chilly 7.5 degrees Celsius. O fires up the stove for some coffee and we bake a Russian coffee cake which we enjoy with orange marmalade. After breakfast we proceed to the Loomis Museum which is very near our campsite. Benjamin Franklin Loomis was an amateur photographer who captured the 1915 eruption of Lassen on film. His photos and the eruption
Monday 27 August 2018 We breakfast at the motel and then drive to Sacramento to find yet another REI for a few more odds and ends. O and I realize that we are not only touring the country’s national parks, but also its REI stores. Next we find a Trader Joe’s to stock up on groceries. By now it is near 2 pm and we are both getting hungry. Since
Sunday 26 August 2018 As another damp misty morning dawns, we pack up our gear and hike 4.6 miles out to the Bear Valley Visitor Center. We pass back through mixed forest and a broad meadow. It takes only two hours to complete our hike. At the Visitor Center O explores the exhibits. He finds a model of the thick billed black bird that we saw at Wildcat Beach. It
Saturday 25 August 2018 We wake again to a grey morning with ocean mist hanging in the trees. After breakfast we pack a daypack and begin the hike over ridges and down to Wildcat Camp on the coast. It’s a cool morning. Both O and I are wearing extra layers. The gravel road we follow passes over hills, through trees, meadows and brushy areas, all perfect for birding. We stop
Friday 24 August 2018 Again we take our time, enjoying the morning as other campers pass by and wave on their way out. Last night we heard coyotes yapping. This morning we see several “invisi-bunnies” in the brush. I also see a doe and a stag bounding down the hillside. We finally leave our camp at 10 am hiking along the coast trail. At some points along the trail we
Thursday 23 August 2018 O and I are in no hurry this morning. It is only 4.3 miles to Coast Camp,mostly downhill. We rehydrate our matzah brei and sip 2 cups of coffee each. We are not on the trail until almost 10:20. I think I have packed more efficiently today. My gear fits in my Gregory pack much better. We begin today’s hike through a tall tree and brush