Lassen Volcanic National Park is probably one of the most unique and diverse National Parks I have visited as of yet; it is in northeastern California where the Cascades join the Sierra Nevada mountain range. A few characteristics has defined its uniqueness - it is only one of the few places on earth where all four types of volcano can be found - the cinder cone, dome plug, sheild and composite; and, Lassen Peak is one of many volcanoes (active, dormant or extinct)found around the Pacific Ocean in a Ring of Fire. The elevation ranges from 5,650 feet to nearly 10,500 feet at Lassen Peak - making it one of the world's largest plug dome volcanoes. When we entered the park it was a pleasant 72 degrees and at our highest point of travel, it was 34 degrees.

The park is open all year but the winter snows make most of the roads impassable and closed between late October and mid June. Although the main road through the park (a 30 mile drive) was open and the mountains had begun to shed their winter coats, the hiking trails above 7,500 feet remained closed; in addition, Lassen Peak Trail would remain closed throughout the rest of 2013 for trail restoration. Although I was a little disappointed that Bumpass Hell Trail was still closed, I enjoyed seeing the 7 foot+ banks of snow along the higher passes and the ocassional glimpse of the snowcapped Lassen Peak through the billowing clouds and blowing snow.

On the drive through the park (from the southern entrance), we made a quick stop to see the Sulfer Works (geothermal occurrance) where the super-heated water bubbled to the surface...it was a relatively small area but still impressive and worth the stop.

Kings Creek Trail was the first opened trail we came to; it offered an incredible hiking experience. We followed a rushing, crystal clear creek through an amazing, lowlying meadow that was laced with lots of flowering colors; it was as if the flowers were vying for the "most majestic" title in the park. The ranger at the visitor's center said this would be the area to see one of the few bears that call the park home (only 40 bears in over 100,000 acres). After hiking a while along the creek and lava-lined bank, we decided to return to the trailhead and take the trail that led to Cold Boiling Lake, which we never found but we were not disappointed in the trail we did find.

As the trail ascended through the snow-mangled trees and large lava rockbeds, a thick mist began to form (maybe from a menopausal moment); the brisk winds carried it quickly through the forest and across the trail...it was as eerie as it was intriguing. As I turned, slowly peering through the mysterious fog, I checked my surroundings for something familiar but I could only focus on the shuddersome haze that had consummed the forest around me. Through the trees something caught my eye; I stopped - being very quiet, I turned on my camera thinking I might catch sight of a bear or other wild animal. As I tried to focus deeper into the forest it became evident that any chance of getting a clear shot of anything would be impossible so I started snapping pictures randomly in the direction from which I thought the creature had been coming from. After taking advantage of the unusual photo oppportunity, I began to be more apprised of the ominous surroundings; I had a feeling it was time to set my sights on returning to the trailhead and making my way to the warmth of the truck before looking for the next adventure. The only half-decent photo taken of the mysterious movement in the dense fog, through the trees showed a silhouette of... well, I'm still not sure what to call it but I know I am no longer in search of bears...I am looking for something more magnificient - maybe Sasquatch.

Next on our adventure was a stop at Kings Creek Meadow Trail (a short 1-mile hike to the falls) and across from that was the Upper Meadows - another beautiful, lush green valley that is separated by a winding creek that feeds into Kings Creek - all of which offered an unimaginable color-contrast against the base of Reading Peak.

We planned to stop and hike around Summit Lake then have a light snack but both the north and south entrances were closed so we continued to The Devastated Area for more history about the 1915 eruption.

Lassen Peak first erupted in 1914 but it wasn't until May 22, 1915 that the largest eruption occurred, blowing its ash over 30,000 feet into the air and pelting the area for miles with molten rock and lava flows. The devastation area was swept clean of all vegetation and all living things; the flowing lava and rock left jagged craters, huge mountains and massive lava pinnacles. The avalanche and mudslides were so powerful they moved boulders (weighing tons) as if they were tossing pebbles across the street - one "cabin-sized" lava rock weighing over 300 ton (yes, 300 ton) was carried more than five miles. Consisting of snow, ice, and lava rock, the avalanche raced down the valley, up the next hill (Immigrant Pass), over and into the next valley (Hat Creek) consumming everything in its path - hence the name, Devastation Area. The remnants remain a geological treasure and as well, provides an idea as how the area devastated by the Mt St Helen eruption will recover in years to come.

To complete the days' tour, we drove a few miles out of the National Park (but still in the National Forest) to hike through a lava cave...or Lava Tube as indicated by the travel guide. It was a self-guided tour and you must have a flashlight (completely dark) and jacket if you can't take the 46 degree year-round temperature. The tube was just under a half mile long and throughout was evidence of how the tube was created. It began as a river of molten rock flowing down the valley floor and as the lava cooled on the outside, the exterior molten rock hardened; the interior remained hot and molten and continued to allow the lava to flow until its source was depleated leaving a hollow tube-like structure. The sides and roof were amazingly smooth while the floor showed jagged remnants of lava rock. It was an amazing experience and pretty cool to be inside something so unusual.

On our way back to base camp, we took another scenic route that would put us back on highway 36 and just a few miles north of Los Molinos. The drive along the narrow, winding road took us through several small, yet quaint communities and lots of lava fields. We stopped for photo ops as the evening darkened and deer came out to graze alongside the roads.

Our camp was at the Driftwood RV and Fish Campground in Los Molinos, CA; it was right on the Sacramento River and when we arrived, we shared the entire campground with one other camper (a Dad and his son). The son quickly said that we were the first campers that had been there in two weeks. Now comes the funny part. When we left for Lassen VNP, there were still only the two campers (us and the Dad & son); when we pulled in at late night hours after our visit to the NP, the entire campground was filled with tents - around 30 tents filled the campground. For a brief moment we wondered if we had taken a wrong turn into a different campground. Early the next morning when we woke, there was no sight or evidence of the tent campers. Later in the day we confirmed that yes, there were lots of tents the night before and they were making a 500 mile hike and stopped to overnight...pretty impressive goal. The campground is currently dealing with financial issues and is under bank management so the future of the campground is in limbo but it was still a great bang for the buck and if ever in the area, it would be a very nice place to stay (even the trains were pleasing to see).