We went to Wild Rose Hot Spring to soak. It is just down the road and a free
pool by the highway, but out of sight of it. This is the latest masterpiece so
far.
Today we hiked the Broken Top Trail around a cinder cone and the wilderness
trail to the lava trees. 4.4 miles. Broken Top was formed as frothy, molten rock
was sprayed high into the air from a linear eruption fissure. John walking
through rabbit bush up to his shoulders. On the Wilderness trail toward Big
Cinder Butte, the largest cinder cone in the monument. A fountain of fire twice
that high produced the cone. The aspen on the eastern edge have turned golden.
Rabbit bush were very pretty against the blue sky. Pahoehoe lava in front of
Big Cinder butte.
Blazing star- about 3 inches across, purple aster, yellow flowering bush, a
close up of some tiny cinders. They contain many gas bubbles or vesicles making
them very light in weight. Some are light enough to float on water. This layers
of glass coat the cinders creating prisms that refract and reflect light. A
close up of lava that is iridescent blue as a result of titanium magnetite
crystals suspended in the glassy rock surface. A tiny plant growing in the
cinders. The top two are of the lava trees, they are molds of upright trees
that the lava surrounded as is flowed by. Yellow aster and bright yellow rabbit
bush flowers against black lava and blue sky. Part of the trail description for
the Broken top trail. Trail surface: cinders and lava, obstructions- Rocks up to
12 inches, steps up to 20 inches and ruts up to 10 inches. Warning Entry into
buffalo Cave requires scrambling over loose rock and crouch under low ceilings.
Temporary obstructions may include downed trees and rock fall.
John next to red cinders in front of Big Cinder Butte. Another caldera along
the wilderness trail.
John and lava trees. Red lava and blue sky.
Buffalo Cave-another lava tube cave, the one in the trail description that said:
entry into cave requires scrambling over rock and crouching under low ceilings.
Unstable footing, falling rocks, low ceilings and dark areas. . .
I climbed up to the top of the Inferno Cinder Cone. It is a short steep 0.2 mile hike. In the winter they let you snow shoe or skin to the top and ski down. From the top you get a view of cinder cones lined up along the Great RiftWe have been hiking across two young pahoehoe lava flows: Broken Top and Blue
Dragon. In the Hawaiian language, Pahoehoe means, “ropy:, as the feature here
illustrates.
Views from the top of Inferno Cone of the huge lava flow to the horizon.
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