Lassen Volcanic Park

 

 

We started out early in the morning for Lassen Park pretty excited as this trip will provide the first camping opportunity for Vasu and Ambu. After a 2 hour scenic drive we reached Mineral a population of 143 people.  Hrishi just then discovered that the gas indicator was reading nearly empty. There was a gas station right in the middle of the town. But then the gas station owner had that decided to attend the Sunday mass and hence has closed the gas station till noon.  We found out that  the next gas station was 30 miles away. Hrishi did some quick calculation and decided we might just make it. With a prayer on our lips we started towards Chester in search of gas. The front glass of the car had condensation and so visibility of the road for Ambu from the back seat was low (even without condensation it will be the same!!!). Ambu became all the more tense and started directing Hrishi on how the glass can be cleaned while driving including the newspaper trick we try back at home .That is another story for another time. Hrishi as usual ignored all suggestion emanating from the back seat relentlessly drove on to strike gas and he did at Chester. So our Lassen trip started with plenty of excitement.

 

Lassen Peak is just one of the volcanoes (active, dormant or extinct) that extend around the Pacific Ocean in a great Ring of Fire. This zone of volcanoes and earthquakes marks the edges of plates that form the Earth’s crust. Volcanic and seismic disturbances occur as these great slabs override or grind past each other. The landscape in several places keeps getting altered over hundreds of years due to different geological phenomena; but the same is more visible in areas of volcanic activity. After several years of apparent serenity, the Lassen Peak burst into eruption in May, 1914, beginning a 7-year cycle of sporadic volcanic outbursts. The climax of the episode took place in 1915 when the peak blew an enormous mushroom cloud some 7 miles into the stratosphere. The reawakening of this volcano altered the surrounding landscape profoundly. The area was made a national park in 1916 because of its significance as an active volcanic landscape. The western part of the park features huge mountains created by lava flows, jagged craters and steaming sulphur vents. In addition there are spectacular glaciated canyons and the area is dotted by lakes and threaded by rushing clear streams. Snow banks persist year-round.

 

We decided that we will do the trails before we pitch tent and settle down. (For a background of Lassen see box .)  Our first stop was the sulphur springs. A word about hot springs mudpots and sulphur works in Lassen.  As water from rain and melting snow seeps into the porous volcanic soils it becomes heated by contact with a mass of hot rocks that have been baked by this magma chamber. This water reaches temperatures of 465 degrees F causing boiling with an increased pressure which forms a steam and gas reservoir over the hot water. This intense pressure causes the super-heated (above the boiling point) water to rise back towards the surface as steam, boiling water, super-heated fumaroles, acid-sulfate hot springs, and bubbling mudpots. These thermal pools can reach temperatures of 240 degrees F at the surface.

 

As we got down from the car we caught the strong smell of hydrogen sulfide, one of the volcanic gases released by the magma below. We were all reminded of our unpleasant days in the chemistry lab. The sight was a nice one We were surprised to find vegetation thriving on the sides of the spring. Fumaroles are small vents that let out volcanic gases and are found throughout Lassen Park. The Sulphur Works and Little Hot Springs Valley are colorful areas filled with residue from hot water and acids that have attacked the lava flows of ancient Mt. Tehama for thousands of years. The color of these residual deposits is caused by the hydrothermal action on the minerals found in the rocks with a blue residue attributed to manganese, red to iron, and yellow to sulphur.

 

Then we hit the trail leading to Bumpass Hell. Bumpass Hell was named after Kendall Vanhook Bumpass who discovered it by stepping in just such a thermal pool, losing his leg as a result of the burns he suffered.  The trail length is about 4.8 Km and the total ascent is  is about 750 ft. after about an hour and half of trekking we reached Bumpass Hell. sulphuric acid and hot steam have greatly speeded up the process to carve out this barren 16-acre bowl.  After inhaling some more Hydrogen sulfide and lot of videographing   by Ambu we started the trek back. One and half hours later we were at the head of the trail.

 

 

We decided to head to the camp site at Manzanita Lake. After registering at camp site we had our lunch of chappathis and the “curd rice”. The next activity was pitching the tent. Hrishi did it with menial help from vasu. We started out to see the lake. Well it was nothing impressive. So we were back at Campsite soon. Ambu made some hot tea and in that weather (60C) it was a welcome drink. We went bed around 8 Pm and throughout the night Ambu heard strange sounds and lights imagining that there were lot of bears coming to eat our curd rice.

 

Next day we started out early in the morning around 8 PM. On the way back we saw the other side of Lassen Peak covered with lot of snow and Hrishi clicked away happily.  We could not travel to the eastern part of the park as there was fire in that region and so it was closed. We missed seeing the painted dunes which is said to  be a spectacular sight and photographer's delight. We headed back home for some nice samosas and tea.