Reflections

It's been over four months since I returned home and to class from Lassen Park. In that time, I've learned a lot about forest ecology, fire dynamics, and trees in general. This has clarified my understanding of the project we did in the field all summer, and enriched my knowledge of succession and dynamic forest structure. Understanding fire regimes and the factors which define it - terrain, fuels, and weather- I can see the objective of the project much more clearly. Once defined quantitatively, these three factors define the fire regime. Terrain is perhaps the easiest to map, all variables (slope, aspect, elevation) available from a DEM (digital elevation model). Fuels are perhaps the most difficult. They are divided into ground, surface, and canopy; and they vary with species, density, age, and history of the stand. A layer of ground and surface fuels already exists, mapped by Calvin Farris. The data we collected will be used to make a map layer of canopy fuels, an extremely important factor when determining fire behavior, intensity, and potential severity. Canopy fuels determine the necessary intensity of surface fire to transition into the crown of trees. This can be the difference between a surface fire which consumes fuels without harming trees and a surface fire which torches (kills) many large trees.

 The above photo exemplifies the 'ladder' phenomenon, as well as the importance of canopy base height in determining canopy fuels. All the smallest trees are totally burnt, having canopy bases near the ground. Some of the intermediate trees torched because the small trees acted as a ladder for fire, and the intermediates almost acted as a ladder up to this emergent pije. You can see the intermediate tree to its right has torched on one side, very close to the canopy of the emergent pije. Other trees with higher canopies survived, however a few taller (intermediate) trees were torched, likely due to the ladder effect. The conditions pictured are ideal, creating a large amount of diversity in forest structure, because the area has never been subject to fire suppression or logging. This is a fire adapted forest (above). Below is an example of a tsme (mountain hemlock) forest stand. The trees are very far apart with little surface fuels and no ground fuels. This stand generates fuels much more slowly due to species type and elevation, located above 8000' on Brokeoff Mountain.

To the left, in contrast with the above forest stands, is a dense pico stand on the edge of Juniper Lake. This stand appears even-aged and is very dense with low canopy base height. The amount of fuels and the lack of diversity in tree height/canopy height raises the fire regime for this type of stand. Pico does not generate quite as much fuel as abco, which perhaps creates the most surface and canopy fuels of any species in the park.

In the field, I noticed a large amount of variation in species and structure of forest stands, often seeming dependent on elevation. Terrain characteristics, like elevation and aspect, influence the vegetation in the region. It is important to understand that while we can define a fire regime based on: terrain, fuels, and weather; these three characteristics are in no way static or independent. All three variables influence each other and are constantly undergoing change, such as how elevation can influence weather/climate, restricting which species can survive in the area, influencing the amounts/rates of fuels.

The measurements we took in the field gauge canopy fuels very well, as well as a plethora of other data. The number of statistical tests and models that can be generated with this data is immense. Spatial analysis, such as Morisita's index, is possible, as well as complex multivariate analysis like cluster analysis and rotation. While the main goal of the project is to quantify canopy fuels in a map layer, many other features and characteristics of the park can be described as well. Relationships between variables can be examined, such as fuels and species related to elevation or aspect.

The repeat photography project we worked on will be used for a different purpose. Rather than quantifying fire regimes or examining spatial patterns, this project seeks to show dynamic change in a forest structure. This change can then be examined and possible causes hypothesized. In regions where we know the causes of change, the photos are a fantastic teaching tool. These photos may even show evidence of a dynamic of change not yet discovered; a starting point for further research.

We also took several tree cores from subjectively chosen plots. The plots were even-aged fir stands with evidence of previous fire history. The project aims to age all the trees in the plot, and associate them with a previous fire of known date. This can, in turn, help us understand post-fire dynamics, such as shrub-field to tree succession.

Here is a poster I made of some photos and their relative locations. Red lines depict a feature in the picture on the map. White lines depict the location the picture was taken

Weeks 9 &10

With only four more days remaining of my summer internship in Lassen, I am amazed at how quickly the summer has passed. My time spent in the woods confirmed and elevated my love for the outdoors, and has further prepared me for more adventures.

Today, our last off-day until I depart for home on the 11th, I spent preparing for the long journey home. Between having my oil changed, cleaning out the whole inside of the van, and catching up with friends back east, I've left myself little time for updating the ol' blog. Fortunately, I am able to type a bit, and update you on some of the exciting occurrences in my past week or so. Last Thursday afternoon, after a week of working with two cool Forest Service employees from Oregon, we departed for South Lake Tahoe for a couple of days. Putting in seven straight days of 8-11 hours granted us two much-desired days off. Evan invited us down to his place at So. Lake, with plans to travel to San Fransisco for the Phillies v Giants game. Last minute, however, I opted to stay in Tahoe and get some riding in while Andrew and Evan headed to San Fran. My decision was well rewarded; the cyclists mantra "always ride" has yet to fail me.

Thursday night we headed to Meyers, a small town just south of the lake where some of Evan's friends live. Dan and Jeremy were planning a group ride the next day, and so of course I opted to join. Friday morning, after a quick breakfast, we geared up and drove to the trailhead. After negotiating a rather rough and tumble dirt road, a short half hour climb up yielded 10-11 miles of unbelievably exciting downhill. The trails in Tahoe are simply incredible. Flowy, rocky, technical; rock gardens with fantastic obstacles and drops slowly yeilded to smooth, flowing berm turns which twisted through pine stands so fast it shoots you out dizzy with exhileration. There were plenty of drops, jumps, and great rock features, many of which were above my comfort level. While I managed a few features, these trails are the type that only become more fun as you work out your lines and dial in each jump, drop and launch.

Saturday morning, Jeremy and I decided one ride only wet our appetite (mine especially), and so we headed out early to tag Mr. Toads Wild Ride, one of the most famous trails in the country. Offering even more spectacular riding, Mr. Toads also balances its ridiculous rock gardens and technical drops with smooth, flowing singletrack. Perhaps the best part about both endeavors was the ending point; right in Dan and Jeremy's backyard. This unbeatable setup makes shuttle runs especially easy.

Heading back to the park after Mr. Toads, we arrived somewhat late around 10:30, and began the next weeks work. Fortunately, it was only four days of work; unfortunately, bees saw to it being a less-than-perfect work week. Before leaving for Tahoe, I was stung in the chest on Wednesday. That was the first time I've been stung in about 8 years. It wouldn't be the last. This past Tuesday, as we were taking a repeat photo, a bee decided it would sting me in the right forearm, completely untaunted. As angry as I was about this odd twist of fate, I had no idea that the next day would carry with it even more poor luck. While measuring a tree I felt what could only be another sting on my left shin. Almost in disbelief, I raised my pantleg to find a bee hanging, dead, from its stinger on my leg. While my mind processed this, I was consecutively being stung on my right shin in nearly the exact same place. That's right, four bee stings, one week, three different days/locations. After nearly a decade without a single sting. Coincidence? Bee Conspiracy? I'll let you decide. All I know is I'm swollen in three out of four limbs and quite bee-paranoid.

In other current events, their has been some serious wild-fire activity recently. A thunderstorm managed to ignite several small fires in and around the park, one of which has grown significantly. The fire is near Snag Lake, where we spend three days backpacking. Listening over the radio to the fire crews is very interesting. Wildfire fighting differs significantly from that of structure fires; it is near impossible to put out a wildfire. Instead, management tactics usually entail strategically setting another fire which will burn upslope and meet the wildfire. In this way, when the fronts of both fires meet, they have nowhere further to spread as all the fuels already have been expended. Fire crews backpack into the wilderness and work fast to make a fire line, utilizing as many natural barriers as possible, before setting the back fire to spread up to meet the main fire. If I had more time, I could better illustrate this specific fire with maps, however I believe we must shortly aquire our provisions for the week and begin the long re-route to the park (the main highway is closed due to wildfire). That's all for now, will upload a plethora of photos when I have a chance. As always, thanks for reading, farewell until next Tuesday.

Incredible Campsites

Our campsite situation began as a fiasco and has ended as a bit of a disappointment; we did, however, enjoy two extremely nice sites this past week. Arriving late Thursday night we were surprised to find our supposedly reserved site already occupied. We spent the night at the horse corral (group site with a place for horses to stay), which was fine until our sleep was interrupted by others arriving around 4:30 am and setting up camp in the same location. As a side note, it amazes me that the National Park System not only allows horse riding on all trails, but even includes specific horse infrastructure, while banning bicycles from all roads and trails except paved roads (of which there is only one in the park). Hopefully that will all change soon.

Fortunately, the following morning we found campers who were moving out of their site, and so we moved in. The site was incredible, right on the beach. Above photo shows where I chose to pitch my tent, an amazing place to sleep under the stars, awakening right next to the lake in the morning. Monday morning we filled our packs with everything for the next few days and hiked out to Snag lake to spend Monday and Tuesday night. We managed to get a number of plots finished up out in that remote section of the park while we stayed at Snag lake. The experience was incredible, hiking everything you need in is strenuous but enjoyable. The best part of the trip was choosing our incredible site right on the edge of Snag Lake. Just a short walk away was our own personal beach, and we saw only a few people the entire three days we were there.

Night Photography

Looking out at Juniper Lake from our campsite, I had a lot of fun experimenting with shutter speeds, apertures, iso speeds and utilizing a tripod. The big dipper almost fits in the frame, but I couldn't get the top couple stars while there was still light on the horizon. Around 11 pm the dipper rotates low enough to fit, so perhaps I'll be able to get it to work by merging a couple photos. Tripods open whole new opportunities for fun and creativity with the camera!

Light Painting

After discussing light painting with Andrew for a week, I was in town last Thursday and saw that my sister Sher had posted on that exact topic. See her full blog here, just don't expect to understand everything (such as the title). Fantastic stuff though, really interesting and creative. This whole light drawing/painting thing inspired me to try my hand at it, so here are a few Andrew, Evan and I made last Thursday night at Juniper Lake.





Andrew drew his initials... nice one.


The coolest thing about these photos is the sharpness/clarity. If you zoom in really far, the picture remains incredibly sharp and the beams of light are incredible. So much fun! I will have to experiment with different apertures and iso speeds next time, and get more creative with the actual drawing.

Photos

Mid-

Here we are, already mid-way through the seventh week in LVNP, and it seems like just last week I was passing through Salt Lake City en-route to Reno to meet up for the start of our research. We've spent two weeks each at Butte Lake, Manzanita Lake, and Crags campgrounds, and tonight we move to Juniper Lake. This will be the first time we visit the southeastern part of the park, and I'm excited as I've heard it is some of the most beautiful country in the park.

The new camera I got for my birthday last Saturday received its fair share of use this past week. I am ecstatic with the results, such as the photo above of Lake Helen's incredibly clear, glacial-blue waters.

Unfortunately, we climbed this mountain for no real purpose, as after Andrew finishes perusing this map, he comes to realize it is Mt. Helen, not Bumpass Mountain. The views were worth the scramble up and down, however, and soon we were over on top of Bumpass for the correct repeat photo location.




The camera takes incredible close-up shots, as well as landscape shots. One of the most enjoyable features is the simple ability to manually focus the lense, something I've desired for years. Still, more practice I do require before truly magnificent shots can be taken. The camera is capable of far more than my current level of skill and understanding can produce. I am having a blast learning how to use the new and complex features available to me, however, and have managed a few presentable shots.


This weekend Evan Lawley will once again join us for a couple days of work. We will likely be harvesting core samples of trees as well as doing several fuel plots around the Juniper Lake area. So far we have completed over 110 fuel plots and ~45 photos, not too shabby for just the two of us with occasional assistance. As my understanding of forest ecology has improved, my interest in the subject flourishes similarly. The idea of fire as a natural element of the forest has become more and more second-nature as we visit plots of different tree species and topographic configuration. These two variables, incredibly interdependant, are similarly intriguing. I hope to upload several maps of the park in the next week or two, one simply topographic with features and trail names, and another depicting species type across the park. This past couple weeks saw us working more with Tsme (Mountain Hemlock, Tsuga mertensiana) than in the past, when we largely saw Jeffery and Ponderosa Pine, Western White Pine, White and Red Fir, and Lodgepole Pine dominating our plots. We have also completed a number of brush and shrub field plots, which contain little to no trees, and thusly take far less time to complete. Mountain Hemlock grows mainly in the upper elevations, roughly above 7000', and so we have been hiking amongst snow quite often even in mid-July. Tsme grows in gnarly clusters of trees, some remaining only a few meters tall for fifty to one hundred years because of the depth of snow and intensity of the weather. The trees can reach heights exceeding 20 meters, however they never grow quite as big as the Pines and Firs which dominate the overstory at lower elevations. So as per the usual day-off routine, we must now accomplish our food shopping for the week. If I have a chance I'll post again before heading to Juniper Lake, if not, fairwell until next week, thanks for reading, and feel free to leave comments!

Getting some rides in!

Just one of the viewpoints from the new, machine built trail network in Susanville Ranch Park. This looks down on the small town of Susanville, formerly a mining and logging town, is now home to a large prison. The majority of the town's economy relies on the High Desert State Prison, as many of its residents are guards or otherwise employees of the prison.The network features many route choices, and though their are just 14 miles of trail, it would likely be at least 25 miles of riding to do every trail. This "stacked loop" format is common in planned recreational-exercise trail networks currently being built. Their are many fast, fun, flowy sections of trails with nice berms and water-bars turned into small table-tops. Unfortunately for me, while soaring through the air off of a particularly nicely placed water-bar, grinning madly, I noticed a purple bag flying next to me out of the corner of my eye. Turns out, it was the bag I use to keep my camera in, and it had come out of my camelback as I launched off the lip of the jump. I landed nicely and came to a stop; the camera hit a large rock, bounced, hit a larger rock, and came to stop in the dirt. Not surprisingly, it was then broken, and the photos in the post are the last ones that camera will ever take.
You Are Here (YAH) maps such as this one are at virtually every intersection in this new trail network. Many of the turns are bermed, however most of the berms are unfinished and unridder. The loose, dry dirt and lack of ridership combined with the mixed use of equestrian riders leaves the trail surface unfit for the smooth, flowing riding style machine built trails are known for. Many of the berm turns are dangerously unfinished, while some are perfect. Similarly, some turns are bermed whereas others simply are not, a combination which hazardously keeps you guessing. Perhaps after a few more seasons of use and maintenance this trail network will be ripping fast and flowy; for now riders will have to settle for an extremely well-marked network of fun trails in a stacked loop format, with no lack of elevation.
These trails may prove to be a fine example of mixed-use trails working properly in a few seasons of use, however currently they need work, and the horse traffic has already wash-boarded some of the trail surface and left nasty piles of poop in the middle of the trail. Why is it horses always choose to shit just after going around a blind turn?

I know it's been a while since I've updated the blog, however we've been very busy with work in the park! When I do have my day off, such as today, I usually spend it taking care of laundry, relaxing, trying to fit a ride in and getting provisions for the coming week. Today was no different, I spent the morning replacing my now useless camera with a new and incredible DSLR camera! This spectacular birthday present will come in handy as we hike around the southern half of the park in the coming weeks. I took a number of test photos, and some good ones during my ride today; the full write-up will have to wait, unfortunately, as it is getting near ten o'clock and I still have to drive back to the park. Our next day off will be next Thursday so I'll try to have a few posts prepared, such as one I've been meaning to write about the changes in the weather since we arrived on June 2nd. Till then, cheers my friends, thanks for reading.

Loomis

Chaos Crags as seen from the peak of Loomis. The left most portion of the mountain was burned this past week in a controlled burn prescribed by the forest. More on that later, we got some photos from the Jumbles parking area (the same place we go to get cell phone reception).
One of the repeat photos we did was a landscape view of the northwest side of Lassen.
Another view from Loomis, this depicts Manzanita Lake with Mt. Shasta in the background. Shasta is about 85 miles away, however its incredible peak elevation of 14,000 ft makes it seem a whole lot closer.

More Photos, Less Text

Evidence of previous fires can be seen all over the park.
Dr. Taylor and I discussing surface fuels amounts from the photo book.
Andrew inside a burnt out snag.



This tree has cancer... or at least that one part thinks it is a few hundred years old whereas the rest of the tree knows it's only about 50.
Found a tree which had exploded for no apparent reason.

Methods & Materials

I know you're all incredibly curious as to what exactly our research consists of, what I mean when I say "sampling plots". So I have chosen to use a series of photos of our equipment to describe just exactly what data we are collected and how we measure it, and then I'll explain the overall context and goals of the project.
Pictured left are our park radio and GPS. We utilize the GPS to locate the locations of the plots, usually hiking or driving near the location and then navigating via GPS to the exact (or fairly close) location. The park radio connects us to the rest of the park staff, allowing us to hear the goings on in the park and to radio in if we are in need of assistance. So far it has proven useful for hearing the weather forcast and we used it to assure a campsite at Manzanita before moving camp. It has also been entertaining at times to hear the goings-on of the park.

To the right are the first things we use when we reach the location. Immediately staking the centerpoint, we then work from that point for the rest of the plot. The two 50 m tapes are used to set up the plot and to measure slope. Next we have the clinometer and, of course, the compass. The clinometer is a neat device for measuring angles and heights. Using one of the 50 m tapes, we measure 20 m downslope of the stake, and use the clinometer to measure the slope angle. The compass gives us aspect of the slope, and we then use it to set up the north-south diameter line. The plots are 500 square meters, which entails a 12.61 m radius circle, so we run the tape out that far both north and south of the stake, giving us a 25.2 m working diameter.

The papers we use to record all the data are shown, filled in, at the top on the right. Under them is our permit to do field work for scientific research next to some of the USGS topographic quads of the area. Odd fun fact about topo quads as per Andrew: the green areas on the map are not just forested areas; they are areas of forest dense enough to hide a platoon of soldiers. Apparently the DoD funded the mapping project, and that is what they were interested in. As you can see from the papers, for each tree in the plot we measure several variables. The trees species, DBH, crown position, status, height, height to dead and live canopies, and live crown percentage estimate. The species is recorded as the abbreviated scientific name, for example Ponderosa Pine is Pinus Ponderosa is Pipo. Not so simple is White Fir, Abies Concolor, or Abco. Pinus Lambertiana, Pila, signifies Sugar Pine; Red Fir, Abies Magnifica, Abma; Douglas Fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Psme; Jeffery Pine, Pinus Jefferyi, Pije; Western White Pine, Pinus Monticola, Pimo; Incense Cedar, Calocedrus Decurrens, Cade.
Pictured to the right are our main measurement tools. The orange item is the DBH tape, measuring the trees diameter by circumference. That's right, you simply measure the circumferance of the tree at chest height, and the units are so altered that they display diameter. The opposite side is a simple meter tape for measuring heights to dead and live crown base on trees where you can reach the bottom of the crown. The yellow digital instrument next to the diameter tape is called a hypsometer. The device includes a laser rangefinder, so you do not need to be exactly 15 or 20 meters away as is the case with the clinometer. Simply shoot the bottom of the tree and the top and it gives you the height. The white book is a photo series book for approximating surface fuels per acre, as seen on the reverse side of the sheet. Finally, we take two types of photos of the plots. The camera on the right actually uses old-school film, and we use it to capture hemispherical photos of canopy cover. The white bubble-level on top of the camera case lets one know the camera is pointed directly upward, and the special lense on the camera captures an entire hemispherical photo, all 180 degrees of the sky and canopy cover. These photos will be digitized from the negatives and a program will analyze them to determine percent of canopy cover. Lastly, the DSLR on the left captures digital images north, south, east, and west of the center stake.

We have to get out of Starbucks soon, as I've been typing for what seems like hours, but I will give a brief description of the overall point of collecting all this data first. The main concern of the project is creating a canopy fuels map. This map will be added as a layer to several other layers of the forest fire GIS. Canopy fuels are extremely important in determining the dynamics of forest fire for a type of forest. The layer will be used to simulate fires under a number of different conditions: elevation, slope, aspect, tree species, dead and live canopy base height; all these variables play a role in fire tree mortality and the ability for a surface fire to develop into a crown fire. By sampling plots all over the park, Andrew will come away with an extensive set of data for a wide variety of different forest conditions. The plots we are sampling were sampled by Calvin Farris, fire ecologist with the NPS, about 10 years ago for a surface fuels map. We are completing the photo series interpretation of surface fuels to compare the changes which have occured over the past ten years, however this is not quite as accurate as the study he did which included browns transects. The canopy fuels map layer Andrew creates will be added to the surface fuels layer, as well as elevation data and several other layers, before being "burned" in a simulator under a number of different scenarios. For now, that's the best I can do, more on this and what exactly a fire adapted forest is later.

Week in Review 6/18 - 6/23

Wednesday morning we awoke in Reno, NV to get Sean on his flight home. Dropping him off around 8, Andrew and I were on our own. We caught a delicious breakfast at a little cafe before hitting up the Sierra Trading Post for some much needed gear. Taking care of the usual off-day tasks- laundry, food shopping, phone calls home- we headed back to the park to make camp at Manzanita Lake. The campground at Manzanita boasts the largest capacity in the park, located just past the main entrance. Offering hot showers (for a quarter a minute), fully featured bathrooms, swimming and fishing at the lake, and short easy hikes, it's no wonder this campground stays far busier than our more primitive Butte Lake location. The north end of Manzanita Lake offers a spectacular view of Mt. Lassen, pictured above.

Thursday was rather routine, taking a few repeat photos and sampling a few plots near the park road just past Chaos Jumbles. Friday began on a high note. We were working on the mid to upper slope of Table Mountain, north of Lassen and Chaos Crags, and started out with a repeat photo. We managed to find the exact location beyond any doubt, no easy feat, and always a great satisfaction. Unfortunately, the day took a drastic downturn as we headed to the first plot for the day, crossing into a shrubfield which we would be fighting our way through the rest of the day. The shrubfield was a mix of Manzanita, Ceanothus, and Chinquapin. Each of the shrubs offered much resistance to walking through, especially when going uphill. The heights of the vegetation varied from 140 to 160 cm, about chest to shoulder height. Needless to say, we were restricted to an average pace around 1 km/hr or less, and the incessant scratching, poking, and wacking of legs and arms became maddening after just a short time.

Upon reaching the first plot, we struggled to measure the slope (measuring slope requires one person to walk 20 m downhill and then back up, a feat which took about 15 minutes in the thick shrubs), and then set up the plot and were prepared to start measuring trees. Pulling out our hypsometer, I tried to measure the first tree, but the battery was exhausted. CR2 batteries are uncommon, and while we had two other sizes of CR battery, neither was correct. So, the day was made even more difficult as we then had to measure all tree heights with the clinometer. This means that rather than simply shooting the bottom and top of the tree with the digital device, I had to be exactly 15 m from the tree and estimate the difference in elevation from where I stood to the bottom of the tree. Fortunately, the plots were located relatively close together, so though we moved slowly between them, we were able to finish five plots by the end of the day. The other benefit of trudging through the shrubs were the great views of Chaos Jumbles. Pictured below, Chaos Jumbles was formed about 650 years ago when a gigantic slab of rock fell from Chaos Crags, demolishing everything in its path the whole way through the valley and up the other side a bit.

Finally arriving home around 5:30, we were happily surprised to have completed five plots and a photo while stuck in the shrubery. Andrew and I both came out of the day happy to have conquered the terrain, sustaining only minor scrapes all over our arms and bruises along our shins. While we did trump the terrain after all, it remains a location I hope never to visit again.

The next few days were quite productive, as we sampled many plots in and around Chaos Jumbles. Evan Lawley arrived Friday night with his friends Chris and Jack, and he joined us Saturday for another extremely productive day, finishing five plots in the Jumbles and doing a photo as well, despite being restricted to using the clinometer for heights again. After the second day without the hypsometer, Andrew drove to Redding and back to purchase the extremely rare yet necessary CR2 batteries.

Saturday night we were hit with a surprisingly powerful rainstorm. Beginning around 8 pm, the rain only got stronger through the night, leading to an early night for everyone in the campground. Pouring so hard I had to dig a drainage trench for my tent, the rain filled all of our pots and pans with well over an inch of water, which we were able to use to do the dishes the following morning. We got a late start because of the rain, but still managed to get 4 plots done on Sunday. Hiking around the lower part of Table Mountain, we were low enough to see some trees we had yet to see. Douglas Fir and Incense Cedar shared the area with Ponderosa Pine, White Fir, and some Sugar Pine. We stumbled upon a Douglas Fir on our way to the third plot which was so incredibly massive we had to stop and measure its diameter; the tree came out to 195.0 cm in diameter: that's 6 ft 5 in wide for all those not used to the Metric system.

For a change of pace, and a fun Friday adventure (our Friday comes on Tuesdays), we decided to do the Loomis Mountain repeat photography on Tuesday. Driving out of camp a bit before 9 in the morning, it took us until about 10:30 to find our way to the base of the mountain. We hiked up the mountain rather quickly, reaching the summit well before noon. The hike was exceptional, offering views of Mt. Shasta the whole way up. We passed by some really cool Mountain Hemlock and walked over a lot of Alpine Tundra. The only way to get closer to Mt. Lassen than Loomis is to be on Mt. Lassen. I managed to use the "panoramic assist" function of my camera along with photoshop to generate this near-360 degree view of the summit.


Needless to say, it was an incredible place. Just before leaving the very top to hike to the repeat photo locations, I accidentally kicked a small waterproof box. Retreiving it from under a rock, I opened it to find a notebook and pencil with some previous hikers signatures. Andrew and I happily read their entries and added our own. Finding the photo locations was easy, and we snapped the photos and headed back down the mountain to the van. Driving farther along the crazy, unnamed dirt forest roads, we managed to find our way to the next location to do a remote plot near the Park/Forest boundary. The plot location was incredible. We were forced to cross two streams to find it, stumbling upon a meadow with a pond in the valley of three incredible cliffs, one of which we had just been on top of, we paused to watch two Golden Eagles soar along the cliffs before continuing up the side of a ridiculously steep mountain where our plot was located. The area was breathtaking yet buggy, and while the views were incredible, the heat, humidity, and innumerable insect attacks detracted from the experience, if only trivially.

We ended the day with a fantastic concoction of noodles in a peanut-butter & hot sauce medley with crisp celery and onion pieces fried into the sauce. As a perfect finish to the day, I chose to go for a short night ride on my road bike, out to the Crags to view the stars in their pristine, unpolluted condition. The remoteness of the park, paired with a new moon, gave incredible clarity to the starts, and the milky way painted the sky like a thin viel of ambient vapors.