One of the most enjoyable things to do as an environmental science major is to go out into nature and marvel at its beauty. In Lassen Volcanic National Park, a fire rekindled in my heart. For a while, I have been asking "What am I going to do with an environmental science degree? Where will I go? What kind of impact can I make?" All these questions, to my surprise, gave me direction towards the answers I seek. With my uncertainty, going on this trip to Lassen had me curious, and even though the car ride up was a strain being car sick; it was all worth it.
Arriving in the park, the group stopped at a few locations within the park to observe and figure out how these natural phenomenon work. The sulphur was a bubbling muddy-looking pit that smelled like eggs. Although the smell was uncomfortable, it was just fun to see the bubbling pool of water and mud. The next stop was our campsite. As we unpacked the upper division course students (which I am in), we took off to start the setting of live traps outside the national park in an area where the Redding fire took place.
Part of the adventure of setting live traps (these traps are rectangular steel boxes with a trapping mechanism with the trigger inside the box closing the trap door) was being excited about what animals we could catch and observe. It felt like I was a kid again. Going outside to explore and even have fun capturing small lizards or insects. It's good to know that you can do the same things as kids in a professional setting. When we returned to camp, a fire was set up, and it was very comforting. The fire glowed of warmth and waved around in the light breeze. Marshmallows were amidst the flames turning brown and puffy. Then the classic s'mores was created with a warm marshmallow and chocolate in between two graham crackers. The best way to end the first day.
Day two of Lassen had the early start of six in the morning. Chilly? Yes, very. For me and my one and only classmate on this trip, we headed to our set traps. The day before we had set up 10 live traps in two different areas. As we went around checking each trap, anticipation built of what we might discover. The first one triggered but no catch. The second trap we check had our first catch. A small deer mouse, rather brave for a mouse. How tiny the little creature was! It truly was amazing. And looking at its distinguished features that identified its species- how amazing God created this creature.
The finishing touch of Lassen was hiking up to Lassen peak. Mount Lassen is a plug dome volcano, which when Lassen erupts, thick viscous lava flows out and eventually as it cools, plugs the volcano up, making a beautiful landform. The hike was very tedious as it was very steep. Going up, I knew for a fact I needed to pace myself or expel my energy before I got to the top. Funny thing was that I still got exhausted before I got to the top. I completed the hike to the top. The rewarding sight was when I saw the multiple cinder cone volcanos within the park. The height of this hike made me feel like singing "How Great Thou Art." Once at the bottom of the hike, my body told me this "Congratulations on completing the hike but you are killing me here." Was it worth it? It was. I encourage others to do the same. Do something that will challenge you but at the end it was worth it.
