Boulder Lake is home to many yellow pond-lilies, Nuphar polysepala, also known as brandy-bottles. July 7, 2020. Photo by Sarah Jarrett.
My 64-year-old father and I went on a day outing to Boulder Lake this week. I had When I’m 64 playing in my head most of the time and I have to say, 64 doesn’t look too bad!
The hike into Boulder Lake started in a thicket of aromatic tobacco brush. Soon we hiked through an old-growth stand of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii),made majestic with ample wolf lichen (Letharia vulpina) and an understory so shady that no underbrush dared to take root. I watched my dad’s feet spring along the duffy, well-established trail for a good 0.25 miles.
Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii, hosting some wolf lichen, Letharia vulpina, a short hike above the Boulder Lake trailhead. My dad’s 43-year-old backpack is so old that it has come back in style! They truly don’t make things like they used to. July 7, 2020. Photo by Sarah Jarrett.
Eventually the trail wrapped around on the northern slope to a section that must have burned within the last ten years. It was open and dominated by greenleaf manzanita (Arctostaphylos patula) with ample wild mints along the path.
After some time on CalFlora, I was able to identify this wildflower as pallid mountain monardella, Monardella odoratissma ssp. pallida. The leaves were slender and the stems were very brittle. Monardella odoratissma does not contain known toxins and was made into a tea by the Paiute, Shoshone, and Washoe Native Americans (sources). July 7, 2020. Photo by Sarah Jarrett.
As we climbed up Tracy Trail toward the ridgeline, we passed the tallest shooting star I have ever seen (~2 feet tall) that was either Sierra shooting star (Primula jefferyi) or alpine shooting star (Primula tetranda).
The drainages were home to mountain alder, Alnus incana ssp. tenuifolia, easily recognizable by its doubly serrate leaves. July 7, 2020. Photo by Sarah Jarrett.We also saw a lot of these beautiful asters, which look most like Anderson’s tundra aster, Oreostemma alpigenum var. andersonii, of the options presented in the guide book Wildflowers of the Trinity Alps, recently authored by DeCamp, Kierstead, and Knorr. July 7, 2020. Photo by Sarah Jarrett.Of course, there was the ever-elegant western columbine, Aquilegia formosa, to keep us company. July 7, 2020. Photo by Sarah Jarrett.
We missed the turn to Tapie Lake and huffed our way up the steep ascent, only to meet a very nice couple from the Bay Area who said they come up to Lassen Volcanic National Park frequently and find it harder and harder to return home. They told us they had just tasted a plant that looked like parsley, which made me very nervous.
We hiked up to the saddle just below this unnamed crag. The brilliant magenta Newberry’s penstemon (AKA mountain pride), Penstemon newberryi, that commonly occurs on the trail can be seen here. July 7, 2020. Photo by Sarah Jarrett.The mixed-conifer forest gave way to a nearly pure stand of mountain hemlock, Tsuga mertensiana, as we neared the top of the ridgeline. We could see Mt. Shasta to the east-northeast and Boulder Lake below. July 7, 2020. Photo by Sarah Jarrett.The highlight of the trip for me was spotting, and later identifying, this very common Trinity Alps plant that I struggled to find in my wildflower book: Lyall’s angelica, Angelica arguta. July 7, 2020. Photo by Sarah Jarrett.
The trail to Boulder Lake is a 2-hour drive from Redding (including 11 miles on a dirt road) and a 3.8-mile round-trip hike. We added on some extra very steep miles hiking up the Tracy Trail for the spectacular views. This a great place to explore, with options for all ages. -Sarah Jarrett
