Painted Dunes in Lassen

Hard to believe this spot was just a few hours away from my home and I had never been there!  This view is awesome; however, you do have to hike through loose volcanic rock similar to sand the entire way.  It makes you appreciate the view that much more.

Being the afternoon, I was expecting some wind once getting to the top of Cinder Cone.  When I got to the top it was really windy!  I love how strong wind and dramatic views make me feel alive.  After I captured my images and began heading back the intermittent intense gusts became sustained.  The path at the top isn’t very wide and even in a crouch using all my strength it was difficult to walk straight.  Once I got off the summit, I knew the wind would die down considerably, but the path down was 200-300 feet away.  It was late in the day, I was by myself, and at that moment I was pretty scared.  I seriously considered crawling the last distance.  I was able to get the camera secured in my pack from a seated position.  The sustained 50mph winds dropped just enough and I was beyond excited to reach a location protected from the wind.  At that point I could start getting excited about the image you see here.