The hike to Cinder Cones was bad enough. It was like walking a mile on the beach. But these were cinders we were walking on, not sand. We were walking along the edge of the lava bed. See those black rocks in the picture above? They're black volcanic rocks piled 15-20' high. Ahead was our destination - the Cinder Cone. There's the trail below - that curved line up the right side. There was no mercy by offering switchbacks. It was 750' (vertical) up to the top of the cone. And walking on cinders is no easy task - one step up, half-step slide back. Repeat that for every step. The cone is 35-degree "angle of repose" - meaning that it is
just shallow enough so nothing will roll off to maintain its form. Believe me, I wanted to be "in repose" after the first 30 feet up this trail.
But it was worth it. The cinder cone was in perfect shape at the top with a trail around the rim and down into the cone itself.
And you could see views of two lakes that were separated by a great lava bed. Near the edge of the cone was the Painted Dunes that separated our little volcano from the black, chunky lava beds. Beauty in contrast.
The hike to Cinder Cones was bad enough. It was like walking a mile on the beach. But these were cinders we were walking on, not sand. We were walking along the edge of the lava bed. See those black rocks in the picture above? They're black volcanic rocks piled 15-20' high. Ahead was our destination - the Cinder Cone. There's the trail below - that curved line up the right side. There was no mercy by offering switchbacks. It was 750' (vertical) up to the top of the cone. And walking on cinders is no easy task - one step up, half-step slide back. Repeat that for every step. The cone is 35-degree "angle of repose" - meaning that it is just shallow enough so nothing will roll off to maintain its form. Believe me, I wanted to be "in repose" after the first 30 feet up this trail.
But it was worth it. The cinder cone was in perfect shape at the top with a trail around the rim and down into the cone itself.
And you could see views of two lakes that were separated by a great lava bed. Near the edge of the cone was the Painted Dunes that separated our little volcano from the black, chunky lava beds. Beauty in contrast.
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