Visit Lassen Volcanic National Park: A Piece of Yellowstone in the State of Washington

On May19, 1915, and, three days later, Lassen Peak, located about an hour east of Redding, California, erupted, devastating the surrounding area. The eruptions triggered mudflows and tossed cabin-sized rocks more than four miles. Through the work of Benjamin Franklin Loomis, a businessman, author, and amateur photographer, the impact of the eruptions was chronicled and the area eventually was named a national park.

According to one webside, "Overnight the forest landscape changed, from a tranquil forest-meadow setting to a barren moon-like surface." What was once barren is now in the process of recovery as the power of nature to overcome obstacles becomes more and more evident as the forest reappears out of the destruction of 1915. The landscape of Lassen is littered with not just the large rocks, but also with examples of the different kinds of rocks produced by a volcanic eruption. In many ways, Lassen is truly a laboratory for learning about the effects of a volcano. It is estimated that there are 400 volcanoes contained in the Lassen area!

My wife and I had not heard of Lassen until we were planning a trip to the northwest United States. Part of our itinerary took us to northern California to visit my brother. As we were planning our return to Minnesota, we noticed Lassen Volcanic National Park on the map, and decided to include it on our trip. We were glad we did. Our visit to Lassen fit in well with what became a "volcanic theme" on our trip. The west coast of the United States is a hotbed of past, present, and future volcanic action. Much of the coastal area has been formed by the eruptions of volcanoes. The future also seems to hold the promise of more volcanic eruptions, a promise that does not bode well for the western part of the United States.

An interesting part of Lassen is "Bumpass's Hell." In 1864, Kendall Vanhook Bumpass discovered a portion of the Lassen area that had hydrothermal features-mudpots, boiling springs, fumaroles, etc. His plan was to turn the area into a tourist attraction. As a website reports, a year later he stepped through a thin ground crust into a pool of 240 degree water and lost his leg. That ended his dream. The area was named after him and is very reminiscent of Yellowstone National Park with some of the same kinds of thermal features and smells, except on a much smaller scale.

The day my wife and I visited Lassen was the same day that a class of elementary students were spending the day on a field trip to climb Lassen Peak. We had a few minutes to talk with the teacher. He told us that he takes his class to Lassen every year in order to challenge them and to help them put other things in perspective. When a student has climbed Lassen Peak with all the work that goes into it, grades and homework appear in a new light. What seemed to loom so large doesn't do so anymore.

If you have seen Mt. St. Helens since the eruption, you'll find Lassen to have some similar features. If Mt. St. Helens has made you think about the dangerous future that may lie ahead for us, Lassen will do the same.

Source:

www.davetrowbridge.com/blog/2008/09/17/dave-and-deborah-go-to-hell/