Monday, September 19, 2011

Lassen National Park Trip Report - Day 2 - 9/11/11

          I got up before sunrise and noticed a few clouds in the sky which meant the potential for a colorful morning. I strolled down to the lake and waited for the display to start.
Lassen Peak Glowing at First Light

          I was hoping the clouds above Lassen Peak would get some color but they never did. The clouds to the east on the other hand did bless me with a dash of pink.

Colorful Clouds above Summit Lake at Sunrise


Cloud Reflections

          I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; There’s no feeling like getting up for sunrise and having a serene landscape all to yourself. I only did see one other photographer on the north side of the lake.
          I went back to camp where Sarah and I started our morning routine. Clouds continued to roll in and the forecast looked like rain. We thought better of doing the Brokeoff Mtn. hike as being on top of a volcano is the last place we’d want to be in an electrical storm. We weighed our options and decided that a shorter hike to Paradise Meadow would be a perfect outing.
          We packed our lunches and drove a few miles north to the Paradise Meadow trailhead along Hat Creek and set off on our hike.

(Click HERE to read about our Paradise Meadow hike)

Paradise Meadow


          After completing our hike with the rain now falling we sat in our car at the trailhead contemplating what we wanted to do with the rest of our day. We had planned on possibly doing another hike but the change in weather had us reconsidering. One thing that is for sure is that we were glad we didn’t end up hiking Brokeoff Mountain!
          We ended up driving back to camp to regroup and relax. When we pulled in we were greeted by some friendly new camp neighbors from the L.A. area.
          The rain had let up and seemed to be holding off, although it was still quite cloudy. Sarah decided to stay at camp while I went on a short hike to check out Kings Creek Falls. As it turned out after a little confusion I would only make it as far as Kings Creek Cascade.

(Click HERE to read about my hike to Kings Creek Cascade)

Kings Creek Cascade


          After my hike and back at camp we relaxed and made dinner. We were enjoying time around camp more than ever, especially because of the lack of mosquitoes. Compared to our trip a month earlier in the “Crystal Basin” which had mosquitoes in mass.
          Around sunset hour I walked down to the edge of Summit Lake to watch the clouds again. One good thing about storm clouds is that they often make for good sunsets.

The Start of a Psychedelic Sunset


Vibrant Clouds Looking Northeast over Summit Lake


Progressive Colors


Same View w/ Landscape Composition


Another Colorful Sunset at Summit Lake

          Later that night Sarah and I discussed our hiking plans for the next day and again agreed on Brokeoff Mountain. We hoped for an early departure so we went to bed before it got too late.

(Click HERE to read about the previous day of our Lassen Trip)

2 comments:

  1. Love your wonderful captures of Lassen. Well done. Inspired me to head back up there in the near future, camera in hand.

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