After shaving by using my side view mirror, and saying a few prayers, I left Lake Britton and had a decent breakfast at Fireside Village, in the small town of Hat Creek, CA.  The creek for which the town is named is an integral part of the Mount Lassen drainage area, as is Kings Creek.

I arrived in Mt. Lassen Volcanic National Park around 9:30 A.M. and spent six hours there, enjoying the contrasts- from lushness to austerity.

We are greeted almost immediately by the great peak, with plenty of the legacy of its 1915   eruptions, much in evidence.

I looked around Loomis Museum, which features a seismograph that records all tectonic activity in the area, with photographs taken by B.F. Loomis, right after the eruptions of May 19 and 22, 1915.  Comparative photos are also shown of the area, both before the eruptions and several years after.  It is noteworthy that Lassen Peak is the southernmost volcano in the Cascade Range, with the Sierra Nevada beginning closely to the south.

Not far from the museum is Manzanita Lake, which, along with the aforementioned creeks and other lakes to the north of Lassen, sustained several Native American tribes  in the area.  Native crafts are well-displayed in the museum, along with the story of Ishi, the purported last member of the Yahi Tribe, who lived west of Lassen Peak.

Here is a view of Manzanita Lake.  If I come back to Lassen, it will be to spend a couple of days in a cabin at Manzanita Lake.

The forest has suffered this past summer, from lightning-caused fires.  There are several areas of the park that are still closed to the public, and fire crews were much in evidence along the main park road.  West and north of Summit Lake is the main hot spot area.

Still, the damage caused by rock and magma far surpassed that done by forest fire.  Here is a rock field, just east of the Manzanita Visitor Center.  There are four basic types of rock at Lassen:  Basalt, andesite, red dacite and gray dacite, (shown below).

Lassen Peak may be hiked, to a point within 1,200 feet of the summit.  After that point, the tuff underfoot becomes too treacherous, and is thus closed to hikers.

Several boulders are on display in the Devastation Area, site of the worst damage from the May 22, 1915 eruption.  Below is a red dacite specimen.

Below, is Kings Creek.

I spent an hour or so in the Summit Lake area, enjoying a light lunch and another beautiful lake.  An 11-mile hiking loop is available from Summit, on another visit.

The piece de resistance, however, is an unexpected sight, with an even more unlikely name:  Bumpass Hell.  Kendall Bumpass, a cowpoke from Hat Creek, found this area of mud pots and boiling springs, which have an average temperature of 200 degrees Fahrehheit, in the 1890’s.  He lost his own left leg to an unstable patch of boiling soil.  Bumpass Hell is the largest of five hot spots in Lassen Volcanic National Park.

At the edge of heat and sulphur,  small plants, like this purple heather, thrive in patches, uptrail from Bumpass Hell.

I would spot more awe-inspiring scenes, beyond Lassen, in the Spanish Creek/Feather River Gorge area, north of Lake Tahoe, on the way to Reno, and another visit with my friends.

Lassen Volcanic National Park was the fourth California site to be designated a national park.  It remains among the most eclectic.

Friday afternoon found me in search of petroglyphs.  I knew they would not be as extensive as those of Mesa Verde or Bandelier, but they are our local link to the Sinagua people.

The first part of the northern spur is uphill. The uphill is not steep, and leads to a ridge, giving a fine view of Granite Mountain and Thumb Butte, plus all in between.

Of course, there is no direct trail from here.  One would encounter several subdivisions along the way.

I crossed a dry wash bed, in between the two hills which make up the trail.

Going along towards the site of the petroglyphs, one encounters several limestone fields, as was true of the southern spur.

Once past these, there is a slightly-flowing North Fork of Miller Creek, as the water emerges from underground.

Then, a short climb over some other rocks leads to the final boulder field, and the petroglyphs.

The petroglyphs are faded spirals, with a barely visible upright figure on one of the boulders.

As I left the petroglyph area, I noted what looked like the head of a snapping turtle- petrified for posterity.

 The  trail is easy enough to do in one hike, on a cool day.  This being the monsoon season, I found splitting the trail in two was the best course.

Yesterday, I hiked two miles, round trip on Prescott’s newest trail- The Centennial Trail, which runs along a limestone boulder field south of Thumb Butte and west of uptown Prescott.  I took the southern spur, which gives views of the Bradshaw Mountains, Miller Valley and downtown.About 1/4 mile along, one comes to this wooden bridge.

The following are some noteworthy limestone fields heading up to the overlook.

At the top of the South Spur, one may view midtown, just across Miller Valley and the Bradshaws,to the southeast.

The most visible building above is Yavapai Medical Center- Prescott Campus.

Off to the west, just past the overlook, below, there is a formation that somewhat resembles the Sphinx.

There was not a whole lot of water flowing, but the stream which is crossed by the trail is the North Fork of Miller Creek, which is not swiftly flowing, even in the wettest of seasons.

Next up:  The Northern Spur of Centennial Trail.

This morning, eight of us peeps and a dog went on a 2.5 mile hike, in the Groom Creek area, southwest of Prescott.

We found the usual boulders, juniper pines, ferns and one lonely coriopsis.

Here are the photos I took, on this beautiful, if hot, morning.

We had a grand time, though it was hot, towards the end.

The warning sign is very clear: “Down is optional.  Up is mandatory”.  I was determined I would get to the Colorado River and back, within one 24-hour time period.  There are things one can do to make that happen- drink the water that is available at three locations along the way, soak the shirt and hat, copiously. (Women can do this, discretely, and most of us men are gentlemanly enough to turn ourselves away).  Lastly, take advantage of the four rest houses and numerous rock overhangs that provide shade.

I set out from Mather Campground at 6:30 A.M., on Wednesday, the “Longest Day” of the northern year.  Greeting several of us at the trailhead were a pair of elk.

The little boy on the right was my steadfast friend on the first 1/2 mile of the hike.  Then he fell back to rejoin his father.

There are 21 more photos in this post.  Bear with me.

I started off in earnest at 7:00 A.M.

The top layers are Kaibab and Toroweap Limestone, respectively.  Toroweap makes the sheer wall one sees just below the surface.

A few big horn sheep were keeping us company during the first half mile.  There were also mule deer, which were a lot more skittish.

We pass through two windows within the first mile of the trail.  Next are two views of the Toroweap Limestone wall.

Not far away, I spotted the 1.5 Mile Rest House.  This is very welcome in the afternoon!   Below is a close-up of the rest house.  Those at 3 Mile, Indian Garden and Pipe Creek are quite similar.  Water is available at the first three, and all four have toilets.

Below 1.5 Mile, there is a solid layer of Coconino Sandstone.

As I neared Indian Garden, an NPS helicopter landed.  This appeared to be a wild animal transfer of some kind.  The ranger had his tranquilizer gun out, so it may have been a mountain lion, which would not have been welcome at Indian Garden Campground!

The Colorado Plateau is largely desert, at its lower elevations.  Indian Garden offers a lush oasis, for about 1 1/2 miles, along Garden Creek.

Above, Undivided Dolomite and Mujav Limestone are your hosts, heading from Indian Garden to Devil’s Corkscrew.  This rock layer is from the Cambrian Era.

Garden Creek remains a friendly helper, for about a mile past Indian Garden.

Devil’s Corkscrew is a mixture of Zoroaster Granite, Nankoweap Sandstone and Gardenas Lava.  Dox Sandstone makes up the bottom layer, where one gets to Pipe Creek.  This is a 2.5 segment of extreme desert, with triple digit temperatures in the afternoon.  Be fit, or turn around!

I took this from underneath a rock overhang, along the Corkscrew.  This postpile is of Dox Sandstone.

The emergence of Pipe Creek, and the presence of blue dashers, signal that the river is close by.  I tried to encourage a couple of ladies to keep going the last mile or so.  Apparently, they’d had enough.  A man who came by while I was at Pipe Creek Resthouse said he saw them soak their shirts and head back towards the Corkscrew. I never saw them after that, so they made it out. Always follow your gut, in these situations.

At 11;30 A.M., I reached the Colorado River, at Pipe Beach.  The rock you see along the north bank is Bass Limestone and Vishnu Schist.  This is all the legacy of Pre-Cambrian Earth, when everything lived underwater.

I rested, had lunch and soaked my feet at Pipe Creek Resthouse, after chatting with a couple who were kind enough to record my presence (above), and taking their photos, in turn.  It took from 12:15 to 6:38 P.M. to return from the river to the rim.  There were confirmations along the way, and I was constantly reminded of confirmations that I would be just fine.  One of those was a heart-shaped prickly pear cactus.

Here are the Navajo Sandstone and Toroweap Limestone layers, in late afternoon.

I had the good fortune to meet up with three people from Tusayan, when I got to 3-Mile Rest House.  They pretty much stayed with me the rest of the way.  It was their first Canyon hike, and two of them said it would be their last.  I would be surprised if that were the case.  Cooler weather brings a much different Grand Canyon experience.

I cannot say enough good about the rangers.  These are among the hardest-working young people I’ve ever seen.  They keep very close watch on hikers, and will be the adults in the room, when one’s judgment gets cloudy.  I got through the Longest Day by following their guidelines.  Though traveling rim to river and back on foot is discouraged, it can be done- if one is in good shape, takes his/her time and stays hydrated.

I had not been in the Grand Canyon since Penny and I went in June, 1981.  We slept in the open that night.   In 1983, we went for a day trip to the North Rim, but only went about a mile on the North Kaibab.  We took Aram along the Rim Trail in 1996.

About a month ago, I read about the Alzheimer’s Association having a Longest Day campaign, to raise awareness on the plague of dementia.  I didn’t have the money to formally register for the event, but decided to do a hike along the Bright Angel Trail, to make a statement, and maybe better-off people would feel like chipping in, on their own.

So, Tuesday afternoon, I headed north, through Williams and Valle, to the South Rim.  Williams is the southern terminus of the Grand Canyon Railroad, a narrow-gauge system that also goes to  the South Rim, ending at Bright Angel Lodge.

Here are a couple views of Williams.

Williams was named for Bill Williams, a roguish mountain man of the mid- Nineteenth Century, who is also the namesake of nearby Bill Williams Mountain, which I plan to hike over Labor Day weekend.  His name extends to a river which flows from this area into the desert between Wickenburg and Kingman, eventually meeting the Colorado River, south of Lake  Havasu City.

After a nice cup of joe at American Flyer, I headed on to Valle, home of Flintstones’ Bedrock City- a nice diversion for families with very young children.  The outfitters’ supply store in Valle is made up of two pyramids.

The area from here to Tusayan varies between grassland and pine forest, but mostly has the former.

There are occasional buttes, like this one just north of Valle.

I got into Tusayan, the service town just southwest of the park, and purchased a few more necessaries, like granola for breakfast and ice for the cooler.  Then, it was off to the campsite.  Like South Carlsbad State Beach before it, Mather Campground was full.  I took my reserved spot, at the tail end of the grounds and jerry-rigged my rodded tent, using twine and string.  It served its purpose and any snickers were kept to a dull roar.  NOTE TO SELF:  Pick up some tent rods next week, before the three-day camp-out.

Here are a few shots around the Mather Campground area:

It’s dry here, so the ponderosas need all the help they can get.

At 6:30 PM, Ranger Kim gave a talk on the area’s wildlife.

At 7:15, one of her subjects introduced herself.

I arrived  at Mather Point, the site of my evening photo shoot, around 7:20.  Here is what awaited.

This is Kaibab Limestone, the topmost (for now) layer of the Grand Canyon.

Here is a formation of Navajo Sandstone.

Various Coconino and Toroweap (Limestone) formations bid farewell to the Sun.

This ominous looking creature is an outcropping of Kaibab Limestone.

Coconino Sandstone and Hermit Shale in twilight  were awe-inspiring.  These sights evoke my bird fantasies.

Sunset at any of the overlooks is a must-see.  Now, for the piece-de-resistance.

This is one of the features that made me fall in love with this canyon.  Next, I will present some of the others.