The Cinder Cone Photo
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Cinder Cone - a small volcano in Lassen Volcanic National Park as seen from the east shore of Butte Lake 11 August 2009 |
Occasionally I show this photo to friends and relatives, and ask them what they think of this photo. Some think that it an awesome photo with all that ash rising up out of Cinder Cone. Others think it is some sort of an altered or trick photo. Others think it is just a pretty photo, and see nothing significant or unusual about it.
When you, the current reader of this page, first saw this photo on the Viewpoints Page, what did you think of it? Did you think it was some sort of an altered photo? Did you think this was perhaps a rare ejection of smoke and ash spewing forth from the summit of the Cinder Cone volcano? Or perhaps you had some other idea of what was happening in this photo. Within the following short story I will explain the nature of this photo.
The Cinder Cone Photo Explained
I had gone to Butte Lake, located within the Northeastern part of Lassen Volcanic National Park, to hike the east shoreline trail of the lake. It was a beautiful clear day with many wonders to see and photograph that day. The north and eastern shore lines are bordered by steep slopes covered with forest and brush. The remaining shoreline is bordered by the amazing "Fantastic Lava Flows" - a barren jumble of black boulder formations.
From the parking area I headed east over a ridge and down to the place where the crystal clear waters exit the lake. From there the trail headed either north and downward away from the lake, or south along the east shoreline. I of course turned southward!
I had seen the smoke beyond the treetops along that eight miles of dusty washboard road that led me into the park. However it was not until I hiked the trail beyond the ridge and trees that I begin to see where the smoke was actually coming from. For the first time , on my hike, Cinder Cone was now in full view, but it was partially obscured by ash and smoke. As I continued my journey southward along the trail, taking a few photos of the sight, the breeze on the West side of the lake slowly shifted the smoke away from Cinder Cone, and northward upon the slopes of the much larger Prospect Peak volcano. It was now that I could clearly see that the smoke was coming from a fire somewhere just to the West of Cinder Cone. Westward, and farther beyond the plume of smoke, the peak of Mount Lassen, the park's signature volcano could be seen.
I continued my leisurely day hike southward, enjoying the sights, photographing all sorts of things, a flower here, a couple of beetles farther along, an interesting stump, and an occasional view of the of the ever shifting and changing plumes of smoke arising across and beyond those fantastic lava formations.
Eventually, if I was to return before the setting of the Sun, I needed to reverse my journey on this trail. And so I did; seeing many more sights and things that somehow I had missed seeing on my trek southward. It was on my northward return journey that the photo shown above was captured on my camera. Eventually I came to the section along the trail where the plume of smoke begin to become more centered behind Cinder Cone, a view that was not so apparent on the southward journey because of the hazy dispersal of the smoke. But now, at this moment and place, the plume of smoke took on a more strait sided column appearance close to the horizon line. Shortly, as I continued along the trail, a bit more hurried now, the hoped for, golden, rare photo opportunity arrived.
The moment lasted only long enough for just two photos; another quickly rising billow of smoke, from the fire beyond, and the illusion was no more.
The photo shown here on this page is one of those two. And although unaltered, I suppose it could be said that it is a bit of a trick composition in that it seems to create the appearance of a volcanic eruption of the Cinder Cone volcano. It is, however, just an illusion.
The truth of the situation, as I later determined, via a little research, was that the fire beyond Cinder Cone was caused by a lightening strike a day or so earlier. It was, on this day, being managed as a controlled burn within the park. Occasionally, on that day hike, I could see a helicopter, with a hanging water bucket, flying to and from Snag Lake, which is located on the South side of the Fantastic Lava Flows.
Perceptions and viewpoints are sometimes ruled by what is familiar or unfamiliar to a person. Some of those, whom I showed this photo to, knew right away that it was not a volcanic eruption; while others, who were less familiar with the park, the local region, and the nature of such things, assumed it to be an eruption. A false assumption, based upon insufficient knowledge of a situation does not necessarily speak negatively of a viewpoint. No person can know everything about everything!
What might speak negatively of a person, myself for example, would be when that person presented some information or viewpoint to another person, with insufficient knowledge, based on facts, to support a clear understanding of what is being presented. With this Cinder Cone photo, if I had allowed those persons who assumed the view presented a small volcanic eruption, to leave with that incorrect assumption, then that would have spoken negatively of myself. A little curious pleasure with a photo is ok once in a while, but not at the expense of ultimate truth and honesty.
Well, with two special photos in camera, and a host of others also, the homeward journey was continued. Instead of crossing back over the ridge from whence we came, we followed the small creek that flowed out of Butte Lake downwards for several hundred yards. There was much evidence of an understory fire that had burned through the area down that way. Eventually we came to another trail, the Bathtub Lake trail, that took us back over the ridge, and right back to the parking area. Another eight miles of rattling washboard road and then smooth cruising the rest of the way; and with darkness near at hand, we finally arrived home.
Oh my! Did I say we? Oh yes, I did not hike alone that day!
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