Down Down Down, In a Burning Ring of Fire

We arrived at Lassen Volcanic National Park in the early evening and got a campsite near the southern entrance. After unpacking, we headed to the Sulfur Works, just up the road. We got to experience the “yellowstench” again from the thermal features there. After we had inhaled enough sulfur, we headed to our campsite, made dinner (chicken and sausage gumbo) and went to bed early.



Waking up early the next morning we headed to the Lassen Peak Trail. We knew that the upper portion would be closed, and thought that we might be able to get there before they put the gate across. We started up the trail, admiring the mountains and blue glacial lakes around us.



To our surprise, the upper trail hadn’t been closed so we made our way up the switch-backs to the peak. Other hikers were complaining about the forest fire causing smoke in the distance. We enjoyed the sight of smoke hanging in the peaks. Fire is actually an important natural process in these western forests and some trees can't reproduce without it!



When we got above the tree line, it became a scramble. When we got to the top we took a break to admire the view and eat some trail-mix.



After lunch at the visitor center, we hiked the Bumpass Hell trail. This was a series of fumaroles, pools and bubbling mud-pots similar to the Norris Geyser Basin at Yellowstone. The hot steam rising in the air made a nice contrast to the snow on the ground.




We walked through the Devastated Area on our way through the northern part of the park. The area may have been decimated during the 1914 eruption but now had many mature trees. There was an interesting mix of different lava rocks dotting the trail.



Driving out of the park, we stopped and grabbed popsicles before driving into Pheonix, Oregon for the evening. Our next stop is Crater Lake National Park.