Title: July 24, 2015 - Manzanita Creek
Trail head: Group D, Manzanita Lake Campground
Hike Info:
Type: Hiking
Trail: Manzanita Creek Trail
Destination: end of trail
Actual Destination: about half of a mile short of the end
Distance: 6.04 miles
Start Time: 9:18
End Time: 11:56
Travel Time: 2:38 (2.29 mph)
Moving Time: 2:26 (2.48 mph)
Elevation Rise: 1,350'
Maximum Elevation: 6,914'
Description:This was not how we planned it. Sherri and I were to go up to my parents, with me taking care of a few things, then heading off to our friends, Dennis and Bonnie in Oregon. Tuesday we got off to a late start and it turned out things at my parents took more time, so we spent all day Wednesday in Mountain View. So Thursday, after getting a late start-see a theme developing? We headed off to Lassen. Our meetup group is coming Friday, so thought we would get a little hiking in Friday, maybe even Thursday.
We stop in Red Bluff for dinner, eating only half of a Mexican meal. Then on to Lassen. On the way, we found out that our friend Margaret and Joe's anniversary party was postponed-she is in the hospital. So we might have an extra day in the park. We got to Manzanita Lake Campground within Lassen. To my somewhat surprise, there was still some vacancies. We finished pitching our tent around 7:30 and met our neighbors, who are from Palo Alto. Got to bed around 9:20.
After packing up to move to Lost Creek Group Campground, we have breakfast-the other half of last night's Mexican dinner. We have time for a morning hike. Right out of our campground is a trail called the Manzanita Creek Trail. Sign says it is 3.3 miles. But is this one way or total? It is an out and back type of trail.
We start going up this trail. I quickly become infatuated with trying to take a picture of a little seed ball floating around my head. But the camera will not focus on it-only got bleary pictures. That is sort of sad. Why you might ask besides not getting the picture which I wanted? This was the best part of the trail for awhile. For the first mile and a half, I kept wondering, why did NPS build this trail? I did not see anything particularly special about what we were traveling. I can usually find something which interests me, but I must be dead to it.
That is until we cross Manzanita Creek. There the meadows start coming into play. This is the first taste of Lassen meadows and I just think they are so fine. From what I hear a little bit earlier, these plazas of green where overflowing with color. Even now there are some whites and yellows. Also we are surrounded by peaks foreign to us. Such as Loomis Peak on the west ad Pilot Pinnacle directly ahead. Lassen is to the east and Chaos Crags sort of behind us. So there is a reason to hike this.
But now it is time to turn back after what I estimate is 3 miles, about a third of a mile short of the end. The trip back is quickly done. I travel a little quicker at the end so I can move the car before the noon checkout time. Sherri is not too far behind. We talk for a few minutes with our Palo Alto neighbors before moving on.
As a note, I was talking with a ranger Saturday and we got into talking about backpacking. he was saying that this trail is his favorite place to backpack. You go a little bit beyond the end of the trail and the meadows get more amazing along with the upper altitude scenery.
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| Manzanita Creek |
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| Pilot Pinnacle |
But now it is time to turn back after what I estimate is 3 miles, about a third of a mile short of the end. The trip back is quickly done. I travel a little quicker at the end so I can move the car before the noon checkout time. Sherri is not too far behind. We talk for a few minutes with our Palo Alto neighbors before moving on.
As a note, I was talking with a ranger Saturday and we got into talking about backpacking. he was saying that this trail is his favorite place to backpack. You go a little bit beyond the end of the trail and the meadows get more amazing along with the upper altitude scenery.
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| Meadow along Manzanita Creek |
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| Mt Lassen |
We get to Lost Creek Group Campground around 1 and find a place to pitch our tent. We expect the rest of our group to come in around 2 or so, but they only start trickling in around 3. But Sherri and I are content just reading and lounging. Must have been the long travel day yesterday. All in all, we have 35 people in camp. There are choices to be made and we choose to go up Lassen Peak tomorrow. But I know we will be the slow ones. But this encourages others to go ahead and try the people-that is a good thing. Our dinner was a prepackage affair of chicken and pasta. Tasted good-must have been hungry.
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| Trail Back |
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