July 23
We drove the remaining hour or so to Lassen Volcanic National Park, CA, entering from the southwest.
Lassen contains all 4 types of volcanoes found in the world, shield, plug dome, cinder cone, and composite volcanoes. Lassen Peak, one of the world’s largest plug dome volcanoes, erupted as recently as May 1915. It sent a huge cloud of ash over 30,000 feet into the air and caused a massive mudslide.
We stopped by the visitor center and continued on to Bumpass Hell, a 3-mile round trip hike along rocky trails that descend to a boardwalk through Lassen’s largest hydrothermal area. It was very chilly and windy on the exposed part of the trail. It felt very alpine. The Bumpass Hell area was named after Mr. Bumpass who in the early 1900s lost his leg after accidentally stepping into a pool of boiling mud. Bumpass Hell looks a lot like the hydrothermal areas of Yellowstone National Park, WY. There were hissing steam vents (fumaroles), bubbling mudpots, boiling, acidic creeks, and a strong sulfur smell. Along the hike we had a great view of Lassen Peak (10,457 ft), Brokeoff Mountain, Diamond Peak, and pretty, glacial Lake Helen.
We continued on to Summit Lake North Campground on the banks of a small lake. Our site was very tight and it took us quite a while to wiggle in. We were glad we hadn’t tried to drive the entire way the night before. Not only was the ascent to Lassen very curvy, but we would never have been able to negotiate the campground and the campsite in the dark. Next we drove back to the Kings Creek picnic area to hike the easy 1.4-mile trail to Cold Boiling Lake. Small gas bubbles escape Lassen’s hydrothermal system below and make the lake appear to be boiling. We thought the whole lake would be “boiling” and were underwhelmed when the bubbling was confined to a tiny area among some grasses. Nevertheless, the lake was extremely picturesque surrounded by lush vegetation and the mountains. The parking lot is next to a beautiful meadow with narrow Kings Creek lazily meandering through it. We stuck our fingers in the icy cold water. Liam spotted another black bear, bringing the number of bears sighted so far to 14!
Toward the evening we walked the short Devastated Area trail. Exhibits highlight the eruption of Lassen Peak and explain how the area was devastated and how it is recovering. At 9 pm we attended a ranger-led Starry Night program. Liam had hoped to see the Andromeda Galaxy, the farthest object in our universe that can be seen with the naked eye. Instead, the ranger pointed out various constellations and gave general information on the stars. It was getting very cold. We told Liam he could have another look at the night sky back at the campground. Out on the lake’s boardwalk we could see the Milky Way Galaxy without all the usual light pollution. We heard a rustling in the dark close by which turned out to be a grazing deer. Good thing it wasn’t a bear sneaking up! Liam got up again by himself at 2 am so he could finally see the Andormeda Galaxy.
The Davids' Cross-Country Trip 