Northern California Trip: Day 5 - Lassen Peak and Bumpass Hell Trail

Energized by the morning coffee and a good night of sleep, I checked out of my room before 6 AM and was on my way to Lassen. I was eager to hike today, and Lassen Peak was the first destination. 

At almost 10,500 ft above the sea level, Lassen Peak Trail was the most heavily trafficked trail in the park. Around 5 miles round trip and 2,000 ft elevation gain, the trail offered stunning views and great exercise. Unfortunately, the smoke still prevented the views pictured everywhere on social media and Alltrails website. I still had to do it.

The elevation gain was pretty significant, but the toughest part was that the trail started around 8,000 ft. The air felt thin, and even after several days of hiking I was out of breath initially. The views were great from the very start, even with smoke all over.

The sky cleared up here and there, but for the most part I could hardly see the blue sky. One benefit of that was the sun was not as hot, and with the trail being completely exposed, it really made the uphill better. I took my time today. I wanted to enjoy the feeling of exhaustion, the sense of my hiking boots solidly grasping the sand and rocks it their sole thread. Strange, but somehow peaceful to completely focus on the physical feeling of the present moment instead of thinking about something that happened in the past or might happen in the future.

Closer to the top, it was starting to get windy and cold. I put my sweater on as I was staring at the white rock behind me. I realized that it was snow! Snow at the end of summer. 

There was a bit more distance left to cover to really reach the top. It involved some rock scrambling, but after a little while there I was on top of Lassen Peak.

The rock was unusual, as if it came from another planet. I guess I don't remember ever being in a volcanic park, but rocks like these were everywhere.

Another incredible creature I found was unique to its environment... An aspiring mode, Mr. Chipmunk! 

I started my descent as the air thickened with smoke. On the way down, I wore the N-95 to finally reduce the smell of smoke. I was surprised how often on this trip I had to wear the mask. It helped quite a bit, and going downhill it was relatively easy to breathe through it.

I finished the hike in just under 3 hours and moved on to the next one, just a quarter a mile from the parking lot.

Bumpass Hell Trail was rated as "Easy" on AllTrails, but I really can't say it was easy. I would rate it at least "Moderate". Surprisingly, the air was almost clear. No idea how a quarter a mile could make such a difference, but this was an amazing hike - beautiful landscape, sulphur lakes, diverse plants and trees and a lake at the end of the trail.

But let's start with the sulphur lakes aka hydrothermal areas where sulfur escapes from the ground boiling through the acidic water. This is why I came to Lassen, to see the boiling mudpots and possibly geysers. The smell of rotten eggs and the view of boiling water were incredible. 

The trail was so diverse in views that after another half a mile I was in the middle of the forest.

Again, I was hiking on the side of the hill with magnificent views. The final destination turned out to be a lake. I could have stayed here for a long time, but it was time to go back as I had a 3 hour drive to Sacramento.

The hike uphill was strenuous, but I paced myself and really enjoyed the exercise.

I got to my car, had some cashews and started the drive south. Lassen was a great place to visit, and I would love to come back when there is no fire or smoke danger. I want to see the views...

Driving on highways to Sacramento was non-eventful and soon enough I was at my AirBnb (after a brief stop at Trader Joe's to grab some berries and a salad). This room came with an adjacent bathroom, but unfortunately, the A/C was not working properly. I went back and forth with the host who said it was due to PG&E turning off A/C in rolling power outages. I wondered how they did that without an actual power outage... But I was there for only one night, so I was okay dealing with this. At least no insects!