West Coast Road Trip ’09- Lassen Volcanic N.P.
The peak of the peak of Lassen Peak
This weekend my family and I hiked 2.5 miles with 2,000 ft elevation gain in two hours (only one way, that is) up a volcano, half of which was in the snow, at Lassen Volcanic National Park. Phew. The last portion was most grueling with some iffy snowy ledges and very steep scree-covered switchbacks. 
At the top, we took in the beautiful view and threw rocks at the chipmuncks that were obviously used to being fed by visitors. It was windy with a bit of drizzle, but well worth it. Hikes are always most rewarding when you reach the top. Our daughter, however, slept through our lunch at the top of the volcano.
Asleep in the pack
We were both really surprised that she did not complain at all the entire time except to let me know that her hands were cold, which I covered immediately. In the full three and a half hours, she never got out of the pack. She sang songs (yes, from that incessant aforementioned CD), pointed to rocks, snow and trees and generally just enjoyed herself. At the end, we rewarded her with some playtime in the snow. It seems that after the first week of travel, when everyone was adjusting, she got the hang of moving around all the time and began enjoying it, the new adventures around every corner and all the time with her mommy and daddy. Maybe that is the same with hiking; perhaps she has gotten used to spending hours in the pack, checking out the views, anticipating bagging the next peak (or sleeping through it, in this case). Or, more likely, we just had a good day.
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