Mt. Harkness
I headed up to my parents' cabin at Lake Almanor in north-eastern California on Thursday to escape the monotony of the Bay Area. After a boat cruise yesterday and a little R&R, I decided to take a hike in near by Lassen Volcanic National Park.
I drove 8 miles out of Chester before the road turned to dirt. Then I drove another 6 miles to Juniper Lake, just inside the boundary of the national park. I parked in a nearby lot near the Juniper Lake campground and started my trek up to the peak of Mt. Harkness.
Juniper Lake sits at about 6,800 feet in elevation, so it didn't take long before I encountered snow on the trail. And after only about 2 1/2 miles and 1200 feet in elevation gain, I was atop the 8,000-foot high Mt. Harkness peak. It wasn't until the last 1/4 mile or so that I saw the fire lookout on the top of the mountain. And before I even got there, the US Forest Service fire spotter was waving me up to his perch.
This was cool. The view was amazing. There were perfect views of nearby Mt. Lassen that sits at just over 10,400 feet. Then, 100 miles away, you could see 14,000+ foot Mt. Shasta, still covered in snow, even this late in July. On the other side of Mt. Harness was beautiful Lake Almanor. In fact, the is the best view of Lake Almanor I've ever seen, even better than the view from Lassen peak, which I've seen several times.
After soaking in the views a bit, Tom, the US Forest Service fire spotter invited me in to see his digs. Yep, he's got a fridge and a stove and a desk. In the center of the structure is a map of the area, complete with a sight, much like that of a rifle, that helps him pinpoint specific areas in case of fire.
Tom stays at the Mt. Harkness fire lookout 10 days consecutively, then he get 4 days off. Then he's back another 10 days. Well, at least for the fire season. Tom's obviously familiar with the area and points out all the local areas of interest. I ask him if he's ever climbed Mt. Shasta. What a dumb question that was. Tom told me he's climbed 19,000 foot Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, and he plans to go back and climb it again on his 70th birthday, which I assume isn't that far away. This guy was in good shape.
Gives me something to strive for, albeit 30 years away. If my liver lasts that long.
I drove 8 miles out of Chester before the road turned to dirt. Then I drove another 6 miles to Juniper Lake, just inside the boundary of the national park. I parked in a nearby lot near the Juniper Lake campground and started my trek up to the peak of Mt. Harkness.
Juniper Lake sits at about 6,800 feet in elevation, so it didn't take long before I encountered snow on the trail. And after only about 2 1/2 miles and 1200 feet in elevation gain, I was atop the 8,000-foot high Mt. Harkness peak. It wasn't until the last 1/4 mile or so that I saw the fire lookout on the top of the mountain. And before I even got there, the US Forest Service fire spotter was waving me up to his perch.
This was cool. The view was amazing. There were perfect views of nearby Mt. Lassen that sits at just over 10,400 feet. Then, 100 miles away, you could see 14,000+ foot Mt. Shasta, still covered in snow, even this late in July. On the other side of Mt. Harness was beautiful Lake Almanor. In fact, the is the best view of Lake Almanor I've ever seen, even better than the view from Lassen peak, which I've seen several times.
After soaking in the views a bit, Tom, the US Forest Service fire spotter invited me in to see his digs. Yep, he's got a fridge and a stove and a desk. In the center of the structure is a map of the area, complete with a sight, much like that of a rifle, that helps him pinpoint specific areas in case of fire.
Tom stays at the Mt. Harkness fire lookout 10 days consecutively, then he get 4 days off. Then he's back another 10 days. Well, at least for the fire season. Tom's obviously familiar with the area and points out all the local areas of interest. I ask him if he's ever climbed Mt. Shasta. What a dumb question that was. Tom told me he's climbed 19,000 foot Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, and he plans to go back and climb it again on his 70th birthday, which I assume isn't that far away. This guy was in good shape.
Gives me something to strive for, albeit 30 years away. If my liver lasts that long.
posted by Leroy at
6:17 PM
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