This morning we slept in a little because we needed the extra rest from all the car “sleeping.” We had to drive some more to get to Lassen Volcanic National Park and we finally arrived around 10:45am.
Once we arrived we found out the visitor center was not open and a lot of the park was still shut down for winter. Today makes our 8th park in 8 days and we were feeling a little exhausted. We wanted to get our hike in and get back on the road as soon as possible so we decided to do the Chaos Crags Trail. The trail was hopefully going to provide us a close up view of Mount Lassen. Lassen Peak is the southernmost in the chain of eighteen large volcanic peaks that stretch from southwestern British Columbia to northern California and one of the largest lava domes on Earth
The beginning of the hike was pretty easy because it wasn’t covered in snow. Check out the size of this pinecone.
The beginning of the hike was pretty easy because it wasn’t covered in snow. Check out the size of this pinecone.
It wasn’t before long and we were having flashbacks of our Mt. Rainier hike. The trail disappeared under inches, and eventually, feet of snow.
From what we could tell by the landscape around us we knew there was no way we were still on trail. We really wanted to see Lassen Peak though so we continued to head in the direction we thought it was. After we had been hiking for about an hour and numerous “just a little further” talks we decided to give up the search. We took in the peaks surrounding us and were quite disappointed that we never “saw” Lassen Peak. After taking our flag picture we headed back to the trailhead.
Those are the Chaos Crags behind us
We were so far off trail that it was a quite difficult trek back. The snow was crazy deep in some places and there were a couple times when we hit trees underneath without knowing. Luckily, we didn’t get hurt. On the way back we ran into another family who had also lost their way and asked for our guidance, but we really weren't in any shape to help.
After 2.5hrs and 5 miles on a pretty tough hike through a ton of deep snow, we finally made it back to the car. We decided to drive to Manzanita Lake to get a view of Mount Lassen since we didn’t get to see it on the hike. We were completely baffled at what we saw. Apparently, we DID see Mount Lassen on the hike and was actually staring right at it when we concluded the search. You see what had happened was… Mount Lassen didn’t appear to be itself because with its elevation in comparison to the Chaos Crags we thought it would stand out more. What we were looking at in the distance was just far enough away to not seem like it was 2,300ft taller than the peaks we were hiking next to.
After 2.5hrs and 5 miles on a pretty tough hike through a ton of deep snow, we finally made it back to the car. We decided to drive to Manzanita Lake to get a view of Mount Lassen since we didn’t get to see it on the hike. We were completely baffled at what we saw. Apparently, we DID see Mount Lassen on the hike and was actually staring right at it when we concluded the search. You see what had happened was… Mount Lassen didn’t appear to be itself because with its elevation in comparison to the Chaos Crags we thought it would stand out more. What we were looking at in the distance was just far enough away to not seem like it was 2,300ft taller than the peaks we were hiking next to.
I have to admit we were pretty disappointed we didn't realize it was Lassen Peak while we were hiking. We thought maybe we at least got it in a picture or the video, but we checked and in every one of them we had barely missed it.
It was time to get back on the road to head to San Francisco for the night to meet up with our friend Carlos. Our clothes and shoes were drenched from hiking in the deep snow so Evan drove like this for a good half hour to dry everything out. He looked silly, but it worked lol!
It was time to get back on the road to head to San Francisco for the night to meet up with our friend Carlos. Our clothes and shoes were drenched from hiking in the deep snow so Evan drove like this for a good half hour to dry everything out. He looked silly, but it worked lol!
During the drive through the Great Bay area traffic someone shot this picture and emailed it to us! Thanks, Patrick!
When we arrived a shower was first priority because we hadn't taken one in 6 days! Carlos invited some friends over and we all had some adult beverages and talked about our adventure. Then we went to Maria Maria's, which is Santana's restaurant chain, for dinner and it was delicious! After dinner we were exhausted so we opted for an early night and went to bed. Thank you, Carlos, for having us!
Day 40: Day off in San Fran
When we woke up this morning we needed to catch up on laundry and research Yosemite National Park. After a couple hours we decided that we could use a whole day of. We ended up staying at Carlos' apartment to catch up on blogging and research the entire day. I was happy to be on wifi because I was finally able to get a whole week planned out ahead of time. Once Carlos got home we made some pizza, had some beers, and watched a movie. Our other friend that lives in San Francisco, Katherine, came over to hang out with us, too. It was great to catch up with her! Our plan for tomorrow is to get on the road early to Yosemite!
Lesson of the Day: It helps to know what the mountain looks like before you set out on a hike so you don't give up hope looking for it when you happen to be staring it in the face!
Word of the Day: liquefaction
Lesson of the Day: It helps to know what the mountain looks like before you set out on a hike so you don't give up hope looking for it when you happen to be staring it in the face!
Word of the Day: liquefaction