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 to get out of Wglwof by 6:30 am this morning. We make it to the trailhead just after 10 am. By 10:26 we are climbing upward.
Our climb begins at 8500 feet and climbs to 10,500 feet over 2.5 miles. The original trail to the summit was completed by the CCC in 1931. It was revised and improved in 2015. The path is comfortably wide and mostly gravel with stone steps in places. It is steep and the air is thin. O and I take our time as we have lost much of our high elevation conditioning with days spent by the coast. We pause to admire the ever-expanding views as we climb. Soon we are on eye level with Brokeoff Mountain’s peak – yesterday’s lunch time perch. We arrive at a wide flat area just shy of the summit by 12:10. It is cold and windy so we don extra layers. There are many displays here depicting the mountains seen in the distance on a clear day and also relating more of Lassen’s history.
Across a snow-filled dip rises Lassen’s true summit. It is a steep rocky scramble to reach the top. O and I cross the snowfield and climb part way up the rocks. It is quite steep, requiring hands and feet to ascend and the boulders and gravel are at times unstable. We make it just over half way up and then decide the view is perfectly beautiful from the flat ridge. We carefully descend and make our way back across the snowfield to the area with displays. From here we can see Boiling Springs Lake, one of our Wednesday hiking destinations and Cinder Cone, tomorrow’s destination.
We turn back to the trail and descend to some sunny rocks from which we can look across at Brokeoff Mountain. Here we stop for lunch. Our post-lunch descent is easier and faster than yesterday’s. We arrive back at Manzanita Campground in time for an eagerly anticipated shower and an earlier dinner than we have managed the past two nights.
The campground is filling in as it is Friday of Labor Day weekend. O and I find it somewhat ironic that many people have cancelled reservations (according to the campground host) due to concerns about wildfire smoke. The air quality here has actually been quite good. When the campers do arrive, many build smoky fires, filling the campground with more smoke than we’ve seen since our arrival.