400,000 years ago there was a volcano that erupted and almost completely destroyed itself. What's left of this volcano is called Mt. Lassen and its peak stands 10,457 feet above sea level in the northeastern part of California. It exploded big time in 1914, some of which was caught on film. It's still geothermally active: brewing, bubbling and spittin' out steam and sulpher. Some areas of Mt. Lassen are reportedly getting hotter, which means it's likely to erupt again in the future.



Mt. Lassen is mostly quite heavenly: steep glaciated valleys, clear mountains streams and lakes surrounded by lush pine forests and fields of wildflowers.

But when the boyfriend and I went there with metalgypsy and whosplittheatom, we checked out the hellish parts...



There once was a man named Kendal Bumpass. He loved to wander in Mt. Lassen's hydrothermal areas. Then he stepped in a boiling mud pot and lost a leg. After that he didn't like it so much. In fact, he said it was a descent into hell. People couldn't help refering to this area as, "Bumpass Hell." Let's hope, dear readers, you will never have an entry way into hell named after you!

Bumpass Hell [below]



From what I understand, this is a fumarole [below]. Fumaroles are vents that let out volcanic gases emitted by magma cooling at great depths.



Sulfuric acid eats the rocks and leaves behind a white, powdery mixture of silica, kaolinite and aluminum.



A mud pot is the intermediate phase between a fumarole and a boiling spring.



I do not want to lick these boiling mud pots. I do not want to marry them or hump them or have their hissing, sulpheric little magma babies. I do not want this Sam I am.



Scorched earth.



Mt. Lassen Volcanic National Park - Part II - "Subway Caves" coming to a friends page near you...