DAY 101: LASSEN VOLCANIC NATIONAL PARK

First on the agenda: cross the North Fork of the Feather River

 miles: 27

Ben and I have been excited to explore the Lassen Volcanic National Park and we finally arrived!

Can you spot Ben stretching?

There were piles of twigs and logs everywhere.

The hike through the Lassen area was unique and gorgeous, as expected. There were these baffling piles of wood littering the forest floor for miles. Anyone know what these were for?

Ben and I are not one for side trips, but we definitely took the side trip down to see the Terminal Geyser... and it was well worth the trip! It's funny - while thru-hiking, hikers often avoid side trips that add mileage to their day because we are already walking 25-30 miles a day, why would we want to add another mile??? It is absurd to even amuse the idea of adding superfluous miles to your day.

Despite the strict philosophy of sticking to PCT miles only, Ben and I eventually decided on taking time to mosey down to the impressive Terminal Geyser (which really isn't a geyser geyser, it is more of a hot steam vent, ferociously throwing steam about in a loud manner). The side trip was only half a mile one way and we haven't even taken a side trip so we left our packs on the PCT and walked pack-less down to view the "geyser".

Well worth it.

I didn't want to get too close to it, but Ben got within mere feet of the thing!

Approaching the "Terminal Geyser"

The first day out of Chester provided volcanic displays and interesting geologic features... and we were on our way to Drakesbad Guest Ranch, a notorious PCT hiker spot on the trail. This year is the first year things are a little different at Drakesbad. In previous years, thru-hikers were treated with free meals, free camping, and a free soak in the hot spring pool on site. This year, however, things were expected to be a bit more restrictive and less hiker friendly.

young male deer in a meadow near Drakesbad Guest Ranch... with burgeoning antlers!

Drakesbad Guest Ranch is on a fairly pastoral site: deer grazing and roaming about, wildflowers blooming, rolling hills and meadows, and well manicured trails abound. We hadn't planned on visiting but after lunch at a nearby picnic bench we changed our minds and made the journey down the road to Drakesbad to see what it was all about.

There wasn't much, but there was water and a cooler full of pop for purchase. Other than that, there was no reason to be there if you were a hiker, so we moved on almost as soon as we arrived.

Always craving an orange soda, he gets his wish.

Love a nice trail.

There's a network of trails in and around Lassen Volcanic National Park, which is popular with tourists, so the trails are very nice!

View from the climb out of Drakesbad Guest Ranch

The climb out of Drakesbad was not as bad as I thought it'd be! It was relatively short and sweet and yielded fantastic meadow views...

On the look out for bears.

A few miles out of Drakesbad, a day hiker ran into Ben and I and informed us that there was a bear just up the way, near a creek, with a cub.

OKAY!

We prepared ourselves for our first bear encounter and cautiously continued on our way, vigilant as ever.  But I am sad to say that we never saw a bear. Moderately disappointed, we moved on to our camp destination at Lower Twin Lake. Once at camp, we found out that the hikers in front of us saw FOUR bears and the hikers behind us saw FOUR bears.... this means that they were there when we passed through, but managed to miss them somehow. Exhilarating?!? Yes.

What is happening here?? The tree ate the sign.

A little bit of a burn zone... but it was beautiful.