Craters of the Moon National Monument

Today was a momentous day in the overall scheme of things.  Jim and I visited one of the most interesting geological sites in America known as Craters of the Moon near Arco, Idaho.  It is here with Jim that I climbed a volcano (well technically it is called a “cinder cone”) on my 64^th birthday reaching 6,181 feet above sea level.   Definitely a first!  The cinder cone is called Inferno Cone and it is a steep, 0.4-mile round trip walk.  Not only is the view breathless from the top, the climb leaves you breathless!  Click here for a video of a 360-degree view from the top.

The lava flow in this area occurred about 2,000 years ago and the sagebrush and grasses still find a distinct border at the edge of the flow.  We learned today that the “hot spot” under Yellowstone National Park is the same lava area that created this lava flow spot here 2,000 years ago.  In that time frame, the earth’s crust has moved about 175 miles.  There is a flat plateau or valley area across the entire southern portion of Idaho through which the Snake River flows.  The earth’s crust has traveled along this valley away from the hot spot in Yellowstone over the past 15,000 years.  In fact even further back in time, the southeast portion of Oregon was here! 

There was no actual “volcano” here that caused the lava flow.  Instead, the earth just cracked open along a 50-mile “Great Rift” and lava from the hot spot oozed up and out the crack and then flowed over the landscape (unlike the devastating Mt. St. Helen’s eruption in 1980.)  In 2,000 years it has been difficult though for nature to get a foothold here.  The most obvious features are lichen, wild flowers and shrubs with an occasional tree.  We did spy three chipmunk-like creatures during the course of our drive through the park, one of which chattered loudly at us for being disturbed from his foraging as we walked on the path nearby.

Lichen on volcanic rock.

Here, we are also very close to the Oregon Trail and an alternate trail called Goodale’s Cutoff to the north.  Skirting the lava fields, fighting brutal heat and almost impassable terrain with no water, in the 1860s travelers faced much more challenging travel than we do today.  But certainly they must have had moments when they took time to marvel at the same scenes we passed by today.

Thirty-four years ago today I spent my birthday on a rafting trip down a portion of the Snake River.  Looking back on what I have done and what I have survived since then, I feel very lucky and very blessed.  Now I just have to imagine the next thirty years or so…