Lassen Volcanic National Park, Pt. 4

More Lassen.


For the most part, we didn't see much wildlife besides a squirrels, a couple snakes, and some deer. There were lots of insects though, and this butterfly was pretty common. Looks like a California tortoiseshell.


There were a lot of dragonflies near the lakes. Somehow, I was able to get a photo of one in flight. Not sure what species it is, but through some brief interweb research, my best guess is that it's a blue-eyed darner.


We ran into some interesting terrain the second day. The ground transitioned from brown dirt to black cinder, the trees turned from alive to burnt and dead, and the scrub all but disappeared. You can see Eric near the bottom right corner - it provides some perspective of the size of the trees.


Trail signage on a partially charred tree.


Yellow brittlebush barely growing in the dirt and cinder. A tough little plant, you often find this growing where nothing else can.


Eric and I approaching the Cinder Cone, which we later climbed. A great view but we were totally exposed to the sun at this point. It was damn hot. We drank about five liters of water that day and it still wasn't enough. I think I pissed smoke later that night.


Taking a break while climbing up the Cinder Cone. It really wasn't that high up, and the heat, dust, and 35 pound packs on our backs were fine. It was the loose gravel and cinder that was frustrating. Since it gave way with every step, we lost ground as we gained ground. It was one of those things where you keep your head down, try to think about something else, and just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Next post, top of the Cinder Cone.