erugs
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For most of the last ten years Brian and I have managed to go on a yearly adventure, one that sometimes stretches our comfort level right out of its seam? Kilimanjaro, Rainier, Grand Teton, Whitney, Hood, Half Dome, and the Chilkoot Trail have added to our climbing transcript, when combined with our New England adventures, but we are certainly not graduates. We still have lots to experience and learn.
Shasta would be this year’s big trip. After some thought, we decided to use a guide service. Shasta Mountain Guides offers four-day trips on the mountain called “Slow and Steady,” which describes both our interest and abilities, so we signed on with them. But because we weren’t able to travel until mid-August though, and they had finished that series of trips for the season, we opted for what we hoped would be similar, their four-day mountaineering seminar.
On my birthday, we flew west the long way, from Manchester to DC to Phoenix to Sacramento and settled in for a day of “regrouping” by walking around the capital city. It’s nicely laid out and we easily found our way. First we went to the Old Sacramento section, which was not far from our hotel and ate at Fat City Bar and Café. Old Sacramento has a somewhat honky-tonk atmosphere, but not the Fat City. The ambiance was really nice. For example, the variety of stained glass lights, but especially the boldly ornate bar in the main room which we learned had been brought in from Leadville, Colorado, where my son had lived for a few years while in college. (In case you are wondering, the name Fat does not imply that those who eat or work there are or will become obese, but is the last name of the Chinese family who originated the small restaurant chain, and means “to prosper” or “flourish.” We also ate meals at Pete’s Restaurant and Brew House and The Spaghetti Factory, both different types of eateries and near each other on J Street. We liked The Spaghetti Factory because it was housed in an old train station and some of the seating was in an original streetcar inside the restaurant. (I’m telling my age if I admit that seeing the trolley reminded me of my transportation home from school in Massachusetts, but that’s okay, I don’t mind.) Active train tracks still run right outside, sometimes shaking the restaurant! We actually saw the circus train roll through town.
We rented a car and set off for the site of an air base where Brian had been stationed for navigator training some years ago. Not much looked familiar, as Mather has been repurposed for incubator companies and small businesses and housing for people in transition. Next: busy Lake Tahoe. We didn’t stop early enough to find a campsite but we learned we could do some no-cost backcountry camping “up the road” which worked out very well.
On to Lassen Volcanic National Park. We hadn’t known much about this treasure beforehand and were taken away by the unusual beauty and variety it offers (for New Englanders). All four types of volcano structures can be found (and hiked) here. First we climbed Lassen Peak which, at 10,457 feet, is the world’s largest “plug dome” volcano. It last erupted in the 1914-1917 era and will again. The graded and by and large groomed trail (4.6 mile RT) zig-zags up the mostly treeless grade. There are interesting sign boards noting features along the way, including the weird Vulcan’s Eye, where “pasty lava oozed like toothpaste squeezed from a tube” during an eruption. There are year-round snow fields on the slopes and summit and a strangely-shaped measuring device for volcanic activity. (The day following our visit, the trail was closed for major maintenance, and no, it wasn’t our fault.) We had energy to explore further that day so after Lassen Peak drove a short distance to hike into the Bumpass Hell geothermal feature (3 miles RT) with stinking gasses and bubbling pools of boiling water.
The next day, based on a ranger’s recommendation, we hiked Cinder Cone which looms 700 feet above the valley floor. Not coincidentally, it is a “cinder cone” volcano and was formed around the time the Pilgrims were settling in Plymouth. From a distance, the cone looks velvety smooth and soft with a paved pathway curving gracefully to the top. It’s actually little bits and pieces of slip-slide scree and dust. The view west towards Lassen Peak thrilled us, since the mountain looked so tall and rugged; the view southeast toward the “painted desert” was worth the trek, though not quite as colorful as the New England’s fall foliage. The peek into the center looked a long way down and we took pictures of the middle but didn’t slide down into it. On the way out we decided to hike neighboring Prospect Peak, a “shield” volcano topping out at 8,338 feet, discovering afterwards that what we thought was going to be a “moderate” 8 miles was actually described as “strenuous.” Trails.Com describes it as a meditative slog. True enough, but what a lovely trail it was, up and up and up through a beautifully forested area that would be a perfect setting to see Bigfoot. Or perhaps Ishi, the “last of his tribe.”
The forth type of volcano is a “stratovolcano” -- we were very tempted to climb Mt. Tehama (or Brokeoff). Maybe next time. Another peak there that sounds interesting is Harkness. We read that the Mt. Harkness Trail is a “little used” and “under-rated” route to a peak with a fire tower. Like Prospect, it is a shield volcano. The Nobles Emigrant Trail from the 1800s and the Pacific Crest Trail cut through the park and we would have been liked to explore some of those routes. We saw more Clarks Nutcrackers than we’ve ever seen before in our lives, both of us combined!
Shasta would be this year’s big trip. After some thought, we decided to use a guide service. Shasta Mountain Guides offers four-day trips on the mountain called “Slow and Steady,” which describes both our interest and abilities, so we signed on with them. But because we weren’t able to travel until mid-August though, and they had finished that series of trips for the season, we opted for what we hoped would be similar, their four-day mountaineering seminar.
On my birthday, we flew west the long way, from Manchester to DC to Phoenix to Sacramento and settled in for a day of “regrouping” by walking around the capital city. It’s nicely laid out and we easily found our way. First we went to the Old Sacramento section, which was not far from our hotel and ate at Fat City Bar and Café. Old Sacramento has a somewhat honky-tonk atmosphere, but not the Fat City. The ambiance was really nice. For example, the variety of stained glass lights, but especially the boldly ornate bar in the main room which we learned had been brought in from Leadville, Colorado, where my son had lived for a few years while in college. (In case you are wondering, the name Fat does not imply that those who eat or work there are or will become obese, but is the last name of the Chinese family who originated the small restaurant chain, and means “to prosper” or “flourish.” We also ate meals at Pete’s Restaurant and Brew House and The Spaghetti Factory, both different types of eateries and near each other on J Street. We liked The Spaghetti Factory because it was housed in an old train station and some of the seating was in an original streetcar inside the restaurant. (I’m telling my age if I admit that seeing the trolley reminded me of my transportation home from school in Massachusetts, but that’s okay, I don’t mind.) Active train tracks still run right outside, sometimes shaking the restaurant! We actually saw the circus train roll through town.
We rented a car and set off for the site of an air base where Brian had been stationed for navigator training some years ago. Not much looked familiar, as Mather has been repurposed for incubator companies and small businesses and housing for people in transition. Next: busy Lake Tahoe. We didn’t stop early enough to find a campsite but we learned we could do some no-cost backcountry camping “up the road” which worked out very well.
On to Lassen Volcanic National Park. We hadn’t known much about this treasure beforehand and were taken away by the unusual beauty and variety it offers (for New Englanders). All four types of volcano structures can be found (and hiked) here. First we climbed Lassen Peak which, at 10,457 feet, is the world’s largest “plug dome” volcano. It last erupted in the 1914-1917 era and will again. The graded and by and large groomed trail (4.6 mile RT) zig-zags up the mostly treeless grade. There are interesting sign boards noting features along the way, including the weird Vulcan’s Eye, where “pasty lava oozed like toothpaste squeezed from a tube” during an eruption. There are year-round snow fields on the slopes and summit and a strangely-shaped measuring device for volcanic activity. (The day following our visit, the trail was closed for major maintenance, and no, it wasn’t our fault.) We had energy to explore further that day so after Lassen Peak drove a short distance to hike into the Bumpass Hell geothermal feature (3 miles RT) with stinking gasses and bubbling pools of boiling water.
The next day, based on a ranger’s recommendation, we hiked Cinder Cone which looms 700 feet above the valley floor. Not coincidentally, it is a “cinder cone” volcano and was formed around the time the Pilgrims were settling in Plymouth. From a distance, the cone looks velvety smooth and soft with a paved pathway curving gracefully to the top. It’s actually little bits and pieces of slip-slide scree and dust. The view west towards Lassen Peak thrilled us, since the mountain looked so tall and rugged; the view southeast toward the “painted desert” was worth the trek, though not quite as colorful as the New England’s fall foliage. The peek into the center looked a long way down and we took pictures of the middle but didn’t slide down into it. On the way out we decided to hike neighboring Prospect Peak, a “shield” volcano topping out at 8,338 feet, discovering afterwards that what we thought was going to be a “moderate” 8 miles was actually described as “strenuous.” Trails.Com describes it as a meditative slog. True enough, but what a lovely trail it was, up and up and up through a beautifully forested area that would be a perfect setting to see Bigfoot. Or perhaps Ishi, the “last of his tribe.”
The forth type of volcano is a “stratovolcano” -- we were very tempted to climb Mt. Tehama (or Brokeoff). Maybe next time. Another peak there that sounds interesting is Harkness. We read that the Mt. Harkness Trail is a “little used” and “under-rated” route to a peak with a fire tower. Like Prospect, it is a shield volcano. The Nobles Emigrant Trail from the 1800s and the Pacific Crest Trail cut through the park and we would have been liked to explore some of those routes. We saw more Clarks Nutcrackers than we’ve ever seen before in our lives, both of us combined!
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