Lassen Volcanic National Park, 14-Jul
The itinerary for this day was very fluid, and we ended up about half an hour behind everyone else. We went to Bumpass Hell, which is sort of like many features of Yellowstone in one area. We also did a driving tour of some of the other highlights in the park.
We didn't want to make our B&B host get up early, so even though the rest of the group was starting again at 7 a.m., we ate at the normal time and told people we would be half an hour behind them and would try to catch up. So after we ate, we loaded the car and headed out to the Cold Boiling Lake trailhead.
Cold Boiling Lake to Bumpass Hell
When we arrived, we saw the other cars, so it was nice to know we were in the right place. We got our things and started out on the trail. We quickly came upon Cold Boiling Lake, which gets its name from the gasses that bubble up through it. The trail went around the lake and soon we started a steady climb.
The trailhead was at about 7,300 feet elevation, so we knew we would be short of breath going up, which was true. We didn't have to climb too much to get a good look at Crumbaugh Lake.
As we got further along the trail, we figured we should be running into the rest of the group. We saw a couple of people who wanted a head start going down, then soon we saw a bunch of the group at an overlook of Bumpass Hell. We looked and chatted, and soon enough the rest of the group came up. It did seem that they got there not quite half an hour before us, so the timing seemed right. After everyone else left, we were the only ones when we went down to the boardwalk through Bumpass Hell. There were lots of thermal features including ponds, mud pots, and steam vents. There was also a river of caustic water flowing away. Throughout it all, we smelled hydrogen sulfide gas. The whole area was a lot like Yellowstone, but with several features in a small area rather than spread around a whole park.
After we were done, we were glad to be heading down from the 8,250 feet we were at. As we left the Bumpass Hell viewpoint area, we started to see a few more hikers. As we got further down, even more people were climbing. By the time we got to the car, everyone else was gone (as we expected), so we packed up and started to head to their next destination, the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center.
Afternoon in Lassen
When we went into the visitor center, we saw everyone else relaxing and eating lunch. We joined them for a little while, then they headed out. We had lunch ourselves and then also hit the road.
The itinerary was to drive to several roadside points of interest, so we just followed that. The first stop was Sulphur Works, where we saw a giant mud pot and lots of flowing caustic water.
Next on the list were a couple of pull-outs with scenic views, which gave us great views of the valley. We then went up to Lake Helen to take a look. There was a bit of snow around the lake, both by the shore and up above. We crossed some snow to take a look, but didn't go down. We looked across at Mt. Lassen, and after a while, Melody thought she saw some people at the top. I took a photo and looked at it after we got back. Indeed, we could make out people near the summit.
The next stop was the interpretive trail at Devastated Area. The rest of our group was just finishing up as we arrived, so we chatted some more then started the short loop. The name for the area comes from how things looked after the eruptions of 1915, but now there are trees all over. There were, however, several large rocks which were used to tell stories of the kinds of rocks.
We were done for the day, so we went back to the B&B, ate dinner, and coordinated for hiking the next day.
