Day 136 Obsidian and Lava Landscape

17.9 miles
From Hinton Creek (mile 1967.2, elevation 6300)
To Lava Camp Lake (mile 1984.1, elev 5300)
Upload 2486
Descend 3469

This morning the sun came out and my foot didn’t hurt, so I thought I’d walk a little. The weather forecast called for the start of storms between 10:00 and 12:00. I expected to go 8 to 10 miles, past Obsidian’s Limited Entry Area (LEA). That would leave me much closer to McKenzie Pass if I needed to get into town on my feet or the weather.

mountain brush

Sisters of the trail before reaching the LEA

Just before reaching the LEA, the ground was covered in really nice chunks of obsidian.

Obsidian everywhere on the floor before entering the LEA

Closeup of obsidian on the ground before entering the LEA

Obsidian Falls

Once at the LEA, the obsidian pieces were larger and more interesting. I wanted to stop frequently to examine many pieces.

Larger Obsidian Pieces in Limited Entry Area

obsidian rock

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from a place called «Obsidian Falls». It could be something that looks like an obsidian cliff or a waterfall among a lot of obsidian. It turns out to be the second of them.

Obsidian Falls

Walking through the LEA

A woman was walking through the area with her dog. He had just found a dog boot on the trail and I jokingly asked him if it was his dog’s. Kate lived locally and walked here often with her dog Rosie. We walked and talked for a couple of miles. He talked about a previous hike he did that earned him the name Energizer Bunny trail. She said she wasn’t the fastest walker, but she went on and on…. She showed me some of her favorite obsidian pieces/boulders. She really liked some pieces with swirls of color. She says the different colors come from bubbles trapped in the rock.

Spiral Obsidian: Kate’s Favorite Piece

sisters

sisters

My foot still felt good after leaving Obsidian LEA, so I kept walking. As expected, there was a lot of lava scenery between the obsidian area and the lava lake.

lava landscape

Lava flow and a valley through which the trail ascended.

The predicted storms held until shortly after Mathieu Lakes. After that, I walked in light/moderate rain with some thunder until I reached Lava Lake.

Although it was a campground accessible by car (smooth dirt road), the Lava Lake campground seemed completely empty. In case the rain was heavier, I chose a campsite near the outhouse to minimize the time I would have to spend in the rain. The toilet had something like seven rolls of TP, so I didn’t have to worry about rationing them. The camp was also next to a lake, so it could collect a lot of water before the heavy rains started. And be only 1.2 miles from McKenzie Pass if I need to hitchhike into town.

lava lake

My campsite at the lava lake

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