We set out early with lunches packed, hiking gear on, walkie-talkies charged and a goal – to climb Cinder Cone in the upper northeast corner of Lassen National Park. The main areas of Lassen are on the western side of the park with plenty of well-marked trailheads and paved roads. By contrast, Cinder Cone required us to circle around outside the park boundaries and re-enter along a gravel road from CA-44. We passed only one other vehicle along the way.

We picked up the Nobles Emigrant Trail from a pullout at the top of Bathtub Lake at around 6,100 feet and effectively marched across nearly a mile of soft cinder and pine needles. Along this path, the boys competed to find the largest pinecone (the reward being a handful of Oreo cookies). The Pinecone Contest helped distract, albeit briefly, the challenge of the hike. We walked past towering pines on the right and the Fantastic Lava Beds on the left to the base of the volcano.

The peak of Cinder Cone is around 6,900 feet and was by far the most difficult hike of the trip so far – stepping up soft cinder stone at a 45 degree angle for a solid, heart-pounding thirty minutes to reach the rim of the caldera. The wind was cold and strong, blowing dust into our eyes with every step. Once at the top, we circled the rim along the edge before we descended into the center of the caldera another 150 feet below. Once there we could no longer feel the wind and the air temperature was at least 10 degrees warmer. We stayed at the top of Cinder Cone for an hour with no other visitors before we set out back to the trucks. The hike down the side of the volcano was swift and surprisingly easy on the knees as the loose cinder softened each step. Back at the trucks, we ate a late lunch to re-fuel and while we munched on chips and hydrated, a deer joined us briefly along the edge of the lake.

Back at camp, Rosie the flamingo was, on second thought, re-named Marty.