Heather and I just returned from a great long weekend at Lassen Volcanic NP. The weather was perfect... though the forcast for the beginning of the week called for up to 7ft of snow above 6000 ft. and road closures were scheduled. As a result, the park was very quiet... the perfect time to explore.
We started our adventure with a short hike around Manzanita Lake. It offered great views of Lassen Peak and was an opportunity to see some wildlife (as well as to stretch the legs after the drive there). There were many ducks, a close encounter with a muskrat, and trout could be seen swimming and rising. One of the rangers said that the fly fishing (catch and release) was excellent here, the lake having populations of brook, brown, and rainbow trout.
We also took in a short ranger program on the predatory birds of the park, discussing primarily osprey and bald eagles. I did not know that the bottom of their feet have spicules (tiny barbs) which help them hold on to their catch... I figured it was simply their talons that did that. The program was worthwhile and the ranger also directed us to a nice campsite and suggested some great hikes.
Until the next adventure...
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment