Lassen Volcanic National Park is located in Mineral, California, which is situated a four-hour drive away from San Francisco. The park’s brochure boasts its hydrothermal activity saying that it contains “boiling mud pots, steaming ground, roaring fumaroles, [and] sulfurous gasses.” The 100,000-acre park has four types of volcanos (shield, composite, cinder cone, and plug dome), seven hydrothermal spots, and only 446,291 annual visitors. If you think that’s a lot, keep in mind that Lassen Volcanic National Park is only the 124th most-visited national park, making it the perfect getaway for people in the know.

Lassen Volcanic National Park was first established in 1916. A business named Lassen Peak visited the park between 1914 and 1921 in order to photograph the activity of one of the world’s largest plug domes, which is located in the park. Peak’s work drew attention to the area, eventually turning it into a national park. According to the supervisory park ranger, Carlo Arreglo, “You can come out here and hike in the wilderness areas of the park and not see a soul, depending on the time of year We have volcanic features and hydrothermal features that you might find in, say, Yellowstone, but without all the crowds of Yellowstone.”

We suggest checking it out before everyone else discovers this gem!

The word achievement may come with different definitions for different people. But for Charlie Janssen, a New Mexico-based high school teacher, the achievement of his life came on 15th November 2022. On that day, Janssen strode toward the Crazy Cook monument of New Mexico, joining an elite league of thru-hikers, after completing the prestigious Calendar Year Triple Crown (CYTC). That means he has hiked the Continental Divide, Pacific Crest, and Appalachian trails all during 2022. Only a handful of hikers have managed to complete it so far.

The Itinerary

After starting on February 3 rd at Springer Mountain, Janssen covered the 7,546.8 miles of Continental Divide Trail (CDT) over 285 days. Janssen covered the Georgia to New Hampshire route before the snow in the White Mountains made him change his course toward the southern Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). After hitting snow in northern California, Janssen returned to the east coast to finish off the Appalachian Trail (AT) before returning for the rest of the PCT during early summer. Then he finished with a non-stop southbound thru-hike of the CDT. Janssen’s entire Triple Crown journey covered a total of 2.5 million feet of elevation change, equivalent to climbing Mt. Everest from sea level 43 times!

The Inspiration

Janssen got his first stroke of inspiration back in 2012 when he was hiking the Appalachian Trail. Then he didn’t even know anything about the Calendar Year Triple Crown, but he pondered the feasibility of covering all three trails. For the next nine years, he researched and looked more into it. But as there had only been a dozen hikers before him to complete the CYTC, Janssen didn’t get much data to start with. But he was persistent and took nine years to test his own psychological and physical limits. Once he realized he was ready, he jumped right into action.

The Lesson

Along with a rewarding feeling, completing the Triple Crown trails in one year was a massive mental reset for Janssen. It was an ultimate experience of the best of nature and humanity, and he has always found that super refreshing, especially in today’s conflicted and socially divisive time. Janssen appreciated and thanked his family, the awesome trail community, and especially his logistically genius wife. After meeting his own limits on the road multiple times and overcoming them, it was the lesson and experience of a lifetime for Janssen to be able to join the small and coveted league of CYTC achievers.