So, I've taken up an interest in camping. I've always been into it, I did a lot of camping when I was young, but I think my experiences at Burning Man over the last six years have been really influential on me. This post isn't about camping, but it is about how much I wish I could GO camping.
This is cross posted from my separate journal,
Everything Is Wrong, and I Hate It Here:We were going to drive down to Lake Tahoe for the day (since I'm a terrible Californian and never went!) but due to it being brush fire season, we were unable to do so.
So instead, we stayed slightly closer to Chico, and visited Lassen National Volcanic Park, only 1 hour north! And what a great trip... I am interested in geology, volcanism and geothermal phenomenon since a very young age, and seeing real, live burbling mud pots, steaming sulfur pools and luke-warm mineral creeks was amazingly fun.
The park itself is not only geothermal features — some of it is absolutely breathtaking scenery of crystal clear lakes, piles upon piles of volcanically upended boulders which had become cracked and weathered and slid down the side of the mountain. Piles of ash turned soil. Fields of daintily purple flowers backing up to craggy monolithic rock formations.
These rocks are interestingly formed in that they are nearly vertical columns — eventually, water will seep between the columns, freeze and expand, then melt and contract, enough times that they will fall away, one at a time.
Emerald Lake was especially beautiful. Algae colors it its distinctive deep green, but it is shallow and incredibly clear. The hollow in which it sits was carved out by a glacier ages ago. I wish we could have stayed there all day - it was shady and cool. Instead, I snapped a few pictures, rested in the shade, and proceeded onwards.
I've wanted to visit one of the areas of the park, "Bumpass Hell" since I heard of the place. I'm mentally like 13 so the name "Bumpass Hell" made me (and still makes me) giggle like an idiot. The actual place (named after the man who discovered it, one
Kendall Vanhook Bumpass) is a geothermal zone which is highly active, and to which we did not have time to hike. Nonetheless, I got my picture and have decided that when we come back, we'll make the hike.
At the base of the summit trail, all there was were scoured rocks, talus flows and fine, yet gritty, volcanic ash. It felt so good to sink your toes into the ash and squish them around! And thank goodness, the altitude (8100 feet) led to it being much, much cooler than down in Chico — where it had been 105°F.
I wish we could have stayed weeks, camping, exploring the park, seeing the boiling lakes and the geysers and the trees and such... but I know we will be back. We plan to do a lot more camping, I think.
