Mt. Lassen: Amblu Kai

"Amblu Kai" means "mountain ripped apart" to the Native Americans who lived in the vicinity. Prior to the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Lassen was the most recently active volcano in the lower 48 states, The rocky dome stands 10,000 feet above the Sacramento River. The peak is the southernmost in the Cascade Range.

The closer you get to the mountain, the more attractive the landscape. The forests thicken, and more streams and lakes appear. The reawakening occurred in May, 1914 at the start of World War I. The mountain's ash covered an area about one mile wide, and a small lake occupied part of the crater floor.

When the mountain erupted, the first person to investigate the phenomenon at close range was -- who else? -- a wilderness ranger named Harvey Abbey who climbed the mountain's deep snow to reach the summit. Volcanic ash and sand covered an area about one mile wide, extending down the mountain's slopes.

By 1921, the volcanic activity had subsided. Today, Mt. Lassen is the easiest and safest of all the Cascade Peaks to climb. The summit trail begins at a parking lot near Sulpher Works thermal area. The summit trail is usually open about the Fourth of July and remains in use until the first heavy snows in October or November.