August 18: Scaling the Summit: Mount Lassen
I left Rio Linda this morning to the sound of roosters crowing, looking forward to a hot but beautiful ride on highway 36 from Red Bluff to Susanville, California through some magnificent redwoods. Little did I know that I would stumble upon one of the prettiest national parks I have ever seen and even scale the summit of it’s more than 10,000 feet tall mountain.
I chose to take the “Farm to Fork Corridor” from Rio Linda north to Red Bluff, a stretch of highway 99 known for its abundant fruit and nut crops. Although it took a little longer and was a little hotter than the interstate would have been, it was much more scenic. I smiled as I passed orchards and fields, tractor supply stores, and nut and fruit stands advertising their wares, remembering similar scenes from drives through California as a child.
The temperatures in red bluff were forecasted for over 100 degrees and I was ready for my cooler vest when I got there. After hydrating and filling up, I headed east on highway 36, anticipating a delightful but hot 107-mile curve-filled ride through the redwoods.
My plans changed shortly after I got on the highway when I saw signs for Lassen National Park just 43 miles away. I knew I could not resist also visiting the park I had not been to since I was a child. For some reason in the craziness of the trip planning over the last several weeks I had not noticed earlier that I would be passing so close by to this national treasure.
The drive to the park along highway 36 was all I hoped and more with scores of beautiful redwood trees, fun-filled curves in the road, and even milder temperatures as the elevation increased.
The park itself blew me away – dynamic hydrothermal areas, glistening blue lakes, striking volcano peaks, and redwoods everywhere. Even though approximately 70% of the park burned in last year’s Dixie fire, there was still so much to see.
I pulled into the parking area for the trailhead to Lassen Peak, thinking I would get a couple good shots of the mountain. But when I looked up at mammoth plug dome volcano, the peak beckoned to me. I was not equipped to go on a long steep hike but decided to make it happen anyway. I obtained a two-liter water bottle from a friendly guest, tied my chaps down to the bike, put all my valuables in a saddlebag liner to carry with me, and headed for the top wearing my motorcycle boots.
The climb itself was challenging but invigorating, starting at 8,500 feet and climbing 2000 feet along a 2.5-mile trail to a Crater View Area. Although the trail ended there, I knew I had to go all the way to the summit itself, traversing a small glacier, scrambling over rocks, and pulling myself up by gripping ledges and crevices at the end. What a view! A stunning array of valleys and peaks, meadows and wildflowers, lakes and trees, and blue skies with clouds was spread out before me.
Sometimes it is the unexpected adventures that end up being the most rewarding. As I briskly climbed down from the top, I was filled with gratitude that I had stumbled across such a remarkable treasure and that I had been able to complete an arduous but rewarding trip to the top of such a beautiful peak.
