Yesterday was the 30th anniversary of the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. Today is the 95th anniversary of the beginning of the eruption of Lassen Peak. Most of you reading this remember Mount St. Helens, but if you're anything like me, none of you would have heard of what was known as "the Great Explosion" which occurred on May 22, 1915.
Lassen is the southern-most volcano in the Cascades range. It has one of the largest lava domes of any volcano on Earth. And it has the dubious honor (with St. Helens) of being one of the two volcanoes in the Cascades to erupt in the 20th century.
Lassen's Great Explosion wasn't as big as St. Helens', but while news stories peppered the Web about the rebounding of life in the shadow of Mount St. Helens, Lassen Peak still retains what is called (in capital letters) the Devestated Area which supports few trees in its porous, nutrient-poor soil.
It also boasts an amazing National Park that includes such must-see sights as Chaos Crags, Sulphur Works, Little Hot Springs Valley, Cold Boiling Lake, Devil's Kitchen in Warner Valley and Bumpass Hell. How can you not want to visit a place called "Bumpass Hell"?
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