Volcano breath

We went to Lassen Volcanic National Park last weekend on a last minute plan. Our guide book told us we could find a beautiful, secluded campground down a bumpy dirt road on the edges of the park. Because of the warning of a bad road, we took the truck, and slept in the back. It was fortuitous since in my haste I forgot that the sleeping bags were not stored with the rest of the gear. Katherine nearly froze the first night, despite two blankets, fleeces, wool socks, etc.

In her defense, I got fairly cold as well and bundled up with her. I'm always amazed how the mountains can be so hot during the day and so cold at night. It really makes camping a different experience than in Missouri. You always know that you'll end up bundled up in a warm sleeping bag regardless of how much you're sweating that afternoon.

Plus as hot as it's been, the snow has been a distant memory for us, yet had only melted recently where we stayed, and there were still patches here and there. In fact, it's only now getting melted enough to start heading into the high mountians, and many trails still aren't uncovered, and may remain that way well into August. Naturally some places won't melt at all.

It's one reason I wanted to go up into the higher mountains this weekend, rather than doing a local trip. There are only 2 or 3 months out of the year that you can make it up really high, so I'd like to take advantage while I can.

Anyway, between the cold and the mosquitoes (which were as thick as I've every experienced - thank goodness for the mosquito nets I bought this spring), the first night's stay wasn't ideal, but the stars were so thick you could hardly find the Big Dipper among them, and the lake was peaceful. You can see Lassen Peak just barely peaking out over the distance.

The next day, due to my forgetfulness, we drove out to buy a sleeping bag, and spent the day exploring the tourist areas via car, rather than hiking the back country. It provided a handful of photo opportunities, and a look at the deeply hued volcanic lakes, which turn deep green and blue from the minerals and algae that grow in them. Unfortunately I couldn't get a pic of that, but I did get one of the view from the road in front of Lassen Peak, looking back towards our campsite about 20 miles away.

We decided to head back to another campsite not far from our first night's place. The scene wasn't a beautiful, but there were fewer mosquitoes, running water, and it was close to the next day's hike. We camped next to a small creek, which looked normal, but had bubbles coming up from the bottom. We were closer to the volcanic activity than we knew.

That night, we went for a walk and took pictures of the meadow at sunset, though we arrived a little late for the best part. It was worth it I suppose for campfire chili, grilled corn and potatoes baked in the fire. But it was still an enjoyable walk, and it felt good to breathe the mountain air and admire the scenery.

As the sun went behind the hill, the deer came out, and I don't know that I've ever seen them so thick. They were used to human presence, but hardly tame, and I had fun trying to capture them on camera. If only I had one of those expensive lenses that allows you to shoot in low light! Aaah, just another thing I don't need. Would be fun though.

The next morning we went for a hike to Devil's Kitchen. Let's just say that while the devil has a nice kitchen, I'm not a fan of his cooking. We hiked around the sulfur pits, steam vents, mud pots and boiling springs for a half hour or so before we got tired of the smell and left for home. All in all, it wasn't perfect, but it was still a great weekend.