Yes, you heard that right. We went hiking on an active volcano on our day off. The Newberry National Volcanic Monument just South of Bend was our destination for the day. We started by hiking up the Newberry Volcano itself in the middle of the caldera lakes. I don’t think this was an official trail and there was absolutely no one else out there. The hike went up an old forest service road through the trees. There wasn’t a glorious sweeping panorama at the top, but looking down into the center of an active volcano was pretty freaking epic!
After returning from our stealth-hike, we went to the popular trailhead to hike the Newberry Crater Trail. It was swarming with people, but still pretty cool.
This is actually a pretty short loop hike. Wish I would have tied my shoes a bit tighter, because walking on the loose rocks is a bit treacherous. It was neat to see it all though. The interesting geology makes up for the shitty lighting for my photography. 😉 Either way, the only thing I really wanted to try to get a picture of this trip was a waterfall, but on our way to Paulina Falls we decided to head up to Paulina Peak because it was justrightoverthere!
Finally made it to Paulina Falls so I could take my pictures and stop whining. 😉
Overall not a bad way to spend a relaxing Saturday with friends before Sunday’s epic mountain biking adventure!
My favorite shots are “Tree grows through the boulders” and “Another little critter” with the chipmunk next to the small tree where you can see the tree roots growing along the rock, trying to get a toe-hold.
Gorgeous, thanks Ashley!