BONUS
DAY
Originally,
we had planned to drive from Lassen on Sunday afternoon and car camp somewhere
near Mount Shasta Sunday night. However,
we started and finished the Lassen Peak hike later than expected. The lure of sunset at Manzanita Lake
compelled me to camp there that evening.
As a result, we were basically a full day behind schedule when we woke
up Monday morning.
We
didn’t need a full day to get to the Shasta area. We pondered the map, and Christy asked me
about the Cinder Cone near Butte Lake in the northeast part of Lassen Volcanic
National Park. That hadn’t been on my
original to-do list, but it looked intriguing.
The Cinder Cone is an extinct volcano, and it promised some cool
scenery. It is situated near Butte Lake, the Fantastic Lava Beds, and the
Painted Dunes. The drive was a little
out of the way, but not a lot. And then
hike was around 4 miles, which would be perfect for a ˝ day. We decided to do it.
We
broke camp at Manzanita Lake and drove to Butte Lake. There is a campground here, and there were a
few cars at the trailhead, but this area is less busy than most of the other
areas we visited. Christy’s knees were
sore, as expected, but she was willing to do a little hiking. She accompanied me on the flat, easy trail to
the base of the Cinder Cone. The trail
forks there. One trail continues ahead,
around the Cinder Cone, while the other climbs steeply to the rim. I wanted to hike up there, but Christy wasn’t
at all interested in that climb (or, more to the point, the inevitable
descent). She decided to continue ahead
on the flat trail while I hiked to the top.
We made plans to meet back up at the junction, or back at the car.
The
climb was pretty nasty. The grade was
steep, and the trail was loose scree and volcanic ash. There were quite a few other hikers on the
trail, and most were struggling. Going
up was tough, and I saw someone wipe out in a cloud of dust coming down. I took short, quick strides and marched to
the top. The “summit” is actually the
rim of a caldera. A trail circles the
rim, and a side path descends to the bottom of the crater. I walked the rim, enjoying the views of Butte
Lake, the Fantastic Lava Beds, the Painted Dunes, and Lassen Peak. The Fantastic Lava Beds are a broad expanse
of twisted black rock extending from the base of the Cinder Cone all the way to
Butte Lake. I debated the value of
descending to the bottom of the crater.
It was a long way down! But then,
how often do you get the chance to stand at the bottom of a volcano? I had to do it.
There
were two other guys heading down, though one seemed scared to continue due to
the steep grade and loose footing. I
didn’t think it seemed that bad, and he made it eventually. Standing at the bottom was a neat
experience. There really wasn’t much to
see there – just a bunch of rocks. But
the place had a certain power that I could feel. And looking up at the circle of blue sky
above was a neat perspective.
I
returned to the rim, where the wind was howling. I descended the far side, intent on making a
loop with the trail Christy was on. The
descent trail was similar to the one I had climbed, but it offered up great
views of Butte Lake, the Fantastic Lava Beds, the Painted Dunes, and Lassen
Peak. The Painted Dunes - colorful bumps
of vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows - were particularly interesting and
photogenic. I made it down eventually,
though I had to dump the dirt and pebbles out of my boots several times along
the way. Once down, I circled around the
south side of the peak to rejoin the main trail. Christy wasn’t there, but I wasn’t
surprised. It was a hot, sunny day
(again), and there wasn’t a bit of shade.
I returned to the original junction, where there is a big tree. There
were a bunch of people hanging out in the shade, but Christy wasn’t one of
them. I hiked back fast, and found her
waiting in the shade near the car. We
had lunch at Butte Lake before beginning the drive north.
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