Day Trip to the Craters of the Moon National Monument
July 12, 2009: Michele takes a hike.
I decided to take leave from the Sun Valley shenanigans for a day trip to Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve in south-central Idaho. I couldn't quite convince anyone to join me.
This national monument and preserve is co-managed by the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management (shoutout to my peeps!), and is approximately 1,000 square miles of lava fields, volcanic features, and sagebrush/grassland.
Above: NPS map.
Above: I love-a the lava.
Above: I also love paths to follow, lava or not. Very sharp Aa lava, actually.
Above: Syringa, the Idaho state flower, in bloom throughout the lava fields.
Above: A lava tube.
Above: Pahoehoe lava.
Above: More lava formations.
Above: Inside Indian Tunnel, a large lava tube. There were other caves to explore but you needed a flashlight, which I didn't have.
Above: The exit end of Indian Tunnel.
Above: I love the texture. It's difficult to tell which bits are convex and which bits are concave.
Above: A beautiful Idaho day. Big Southern Butte, a "young" volcano which was a major landmark for Oregon Trail pioneers and others, is in the far distance under the dramatic clouds.
Above: Big Cinder Butte volcano.
Above: A crater we hiked past, which was a lot steeper and more dramatic than the picture implies.
Above: Penstimon. There were a lot of wildflowers still in bloom. The summer temperatures so far in southern Idaho have been quite mild after a wet spring.
Above: Dwarf Monkeyflower. Summer soil and rock temperatures at Craters have been measured at 170 degrees F. Winter temperatures can get to -30 degrees F. The conditions are so extreme, I marvel that these little guys thrive—they were everywhere, flowering.
Above: A type of fern that the Native Americans would rub onto themselves as an insect repellent. It smelled nice to me. Reminded me of bergamot.
Above: Sulfer Flower Buckwheat, which Native Americans used as an eyewash.
Above: A cool old snag with the Big Cinder Butte cone in the background.
Above: Wolf lichen growing on a dead tree. Europeans knew that this lichen was toxic so they would mix it in with bait to kill wolves. Niiice...
Above: Freddie Fungus took a lichen to Alice Algae, but their marriage is on the rocks (and dead trees).
Above: Cool tip of a dead tree. What is with me and tree snags?
Above: Ranger Doug took us off-trail for a while to show us an old bison horn he found that is probably 100 years old.
Above: Shimmery blue colors in the lava. Some scientists think it's from titanium present in the lava, while others think it's from components that behave like a glaze on a pot.
Above: The Idaho state flower, syringa. It's a good choice. Lovely.
Above: Pahoehoe lava flows.
Above: Pahoehoe ropes.
Above: The Pioneer Mountains in the far distance still have visible snow on them.
Above: A small kipuka, which is an island of "old" lava surrounded by a "new" lava flow.
Above: That dark hole in the middle is a vertical tree mold, which forms when lava engulfs a tree which then incinerates and leaves an impression of the tree behind.
Above: A horizontal tree mold.
Above: Ranger Doug pokes at something.
Above: Yes. Another tree snag. Moving on.
Above: Inferno Cone.
Above: Hot tired feet happy to get into roomy holey ugly shoes.
The End.
I decided to take leave from the Sun Valley shenanigans for a day trip to Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve in south-central Idaho. I couldn't quite convince anyone to join me.
This national monument and preserve is co-managed by the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management (shoutout to my peeps!), and is approximately 1,000 square miles of lava fields, volcanic features, and sagebrush/grassland.
Above: NPS map.
Above: I love-a the lava.
Above: I also love paths to follow, lava or not. Very sharp Aa lava, actually.
Above: Syringa, the Idaho state flower, in bloom throughout the lava fields.
Above: A lava tube.
Above: Pahoehoe lava.
Above: More lava formations.
Above: Inside Indian Tunnel, a large lava tube. There were other caves to explore but you needed a flashlight, which I didn't have.
Above: The exit end of Indian Tunnel.
Above: I love the texture. It's difficult to tell which bits are convex and which bits are concave.
Above: A beautiful Idaho day. Big Southern Butte, a "young" volcano which was a major landmark for Oregon Trail pioneers and others, is in the far distance under the dramatic clouds.
Above: Big Cinder Butte volcano.
Above: A crater we hiked past, which was a lot steeper and more dramatic than the picture implies.
Above: Penstimon. There were a lot of wildflowers still in bloom. The summer temperatures so far in southern Idaho have been quite mild after a wet spring.
Above: Dwarf Monkeyflower. Summer soil and rock temperatures at Craters have been measured at 170 degrees F. Winter temperatures can get to -30 degrees F. The conditions are so extreme, I marvel that these little guys thrive—they were everywhere, flowering.
Above: A type of fern that the Native Americans would rub onto themselves as an insect repellent. It smelled nice to me. Reminded me of bergamot.
Above: Sulfer Flower Buckwheat, which Native Americans used as an eyewash.
Above: A cool old snag with the Big Cinder Butte cone in the background.
Above: Wolf lichen growing on a dead tree. Europeans knew that this lichen was toxic so they would mix it in with bait to kill wolves. Niiice...
Above: Freddie Fungus took a lichen to Alice Algae, but their marriage is on the rocks (and dead trees).
Above: Cool tip of a dead tree. What is with me and tree snags?
Above: Ranger Doug took us off-trail for a while to show us an old bison horn he found that is probably 100 years old.
Above: Shimmery blue colors in the lava. Some scientists think it's from titanium present in the lava, while others think it's from components that behave like a glaze on a pot.
Above: The Idaho state flower, syringa. It's a good choice. Lovely.
Above: Pahoehoe lava flows.
Above: Pahoehoe ropes.
Above: The Pioneer Mountains in the far distance still have visible snow on them.
Above: A small kipuka, which is an island of "old" lava surrounded by a "new" lava flow.
Above: That dark hole in the middle is a vertical tree mold, which forms when lava engulfs a tree which then incinerates and leaves an impression of the tree behind.
Above: A horizontal tree mold.
Above: Ranger Doug pokes at something.
Above: Yes. Another tree snag. Moving on.
Above: Inferno Cone.
Above: Hot tired feet happy to get into roomy holey ugly shoes.
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