WARNING AS OF 2022: As a worker in the forestry and fire industry, I can confirm that this place is dangerous to visit. I first visited this area while reporting on the Dixie Fire of 2021. This area burned up in that fire, leaving all dead trees that are extremely sucestible to falling with the slightest wind or even no wind at all. Use extreme caution if you choose to visit, and never camp amognst dead trees. There are often no warning signs before dead trees fall. Below is a quote from Geocaching user ranger remsz, who was the first to visit the earthcache site since I went:
"My assessment of the hazards comes directly from my job to assess and to respond to risks, and I do hope that anyone considering to find these two EarthCaches takes my warning to heart. This area is in the center of a section burned over by the Dixie Fire of 2021 and every single tree has been completely burned from ground to tip, with many hollowed out from the fire. Under no circumstances should anyone walk through this area during any sort of wind, and everyone should strongly consider wearing a hard hat because these trees will fall at some point. The road going to the caches is unmaintained and some of the downed trees have been cut to clear the road, but I did have to use four wheel drive and did drive directly over a small downed tree which could have greatly damaged my truck. With me, I carried my Park Service radio which accesses all the emergency channels for the NPS and Forest Service, as well as a personal locator beacon with the same connections. I spent a maximum of fifteen minutes in the burn area and moved as quickly as possible to gather enough information at the sites to then answer once I was out of the hazard section.
I hope my message about the hazards is clear and can inform safe geocaching in the future. This area must have been a beautiful place to walk before the fire, but now it needs time to heal."
Lassen National Forest is home to many volcanic features, boggling minds of many for generations.
This cache highlights an ice cave, a unique feature off the beaten path and not known to many. Getting there can be tricky, but the adventure is well worth it. I visited on the last day of July in 2021, and made it there in my 2WD Toyota Tacoma. However, just to be safe, I’d recommend 4WD to get there!
“[To get there,] take highway 36 to Wilson Lake Road 29 & 63, then make a right onto the 29 N 19 road. Next, find the E. Spur Road off of 29 N 19, and if you’re lucky, you’ll stumble upon a tree marked ‘Ice’ in blue paint. From there just ahead you will find an opening with a couch carved out of a tree, a trailhead, and a mailbox attached to a tree with a beautiful guest book inside. It’s kind of like stumbling upon a hidden door you never knew was there” (Dobyns, 2017).
Remember to sign in at the mailbox! Not only is it fun, but it is actually a safety precaution. Should anything happen to you out on the hike, a sign-in at the trailhead leaves a recorded step about your last whereabouts, and how long you’ve been out there (therefore, signing out is encouraged as well). There is little to no cell service out here, so know where you’re aiming to get to before you make the trek out here.
The ice cave found here can hold ice throughout the year, even in the summer months. The temperature remains cold down here due to a lack of drainage and air circulation, allowing groundwater to freeze and persist even when the weather is warm. This cave is also known as a lava cave, hinting to its formation. This cave is located in a block lava field that you will hike through to get up to the cave. Lava caves are formed when lava flows across the ground, away from the original vent/blast area. Lava, like water, takes the path of least resistance. However, as lava flows, the exterior edges of the lava begin to cool off and harden, and the molten rock beneath it continues to flow downhill. This creates a sort of tunnel or channel, referred to as a lava tube. The hardened exterior in turn insulates the lava below, so it can flow longer and faster downslope. Once the remaining hot lava passes through this tube (most likely forming more tubes down the way), the cave created from lava is left behind and hollow.
Since this volcanic rock can insulate extremely well, ground water that seeps into the cave can freeze, like we see here. Lava tubes can often be pinched off at the bottom, either from hardened lava that didn’t completely exit the tube, or by an encounter with bedrock or other obstacles. This creates poor ventilation and drainage in these caves, which also facilitates the formation of ice.
To log this Earthcache, please send me a note with the following:
- Name of this Earthcache and the number of people in your group (even non-geocachers).
- Venture down into the cave (as far as you’re willing to go. It goes pretty deep, so only go as far as you are comfortable. Make sure you can go back up the way you came, as there is no other exit). Can you find any ice?
- Observe and feel the walls and roof of the cave. Are they smooth or rough? Why do you think this is?
- Lastly, why do you think hardened lava can insulate so well?
Have fun, post pictures, and enjoy this hidden gem!
Sources:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/lassen/maps-pubs/?cid=fseprd533813&width=full
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lava_cave
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lava#Pāhoehoe
https://www.mountainvalleyliving.com/2017/01/exploring-ice-caves-in-lassen-county/
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/caves/lava-caves-or-tubes.htm