On the third day of our Lassen trip we decided it was time to go climb a volcano. We were either going to hike Cinder Cone or Mt. Lassen. There were pros and cons to both, but after much deliberation, Mt. Lassen was the winner. Up until that day I'd never hiked Lassen - never even attempted it. Why? Because it's steep switchbacks most of the way up, and there's nothing but sharp volcanic rock to catch you on your way down if you fall and plummet to your death. It's an Acrophobic's nightmare. But, we were there and I decided that hiking Mt. Lassen was the best way to face my fear of heights head on.
The beginning of the hike has a pretty steep drop off as you hit the first switchback. Poor Ainsley saw what we were up against and couldn't push herself past it, so she stayed behind with my mom and dad, who weren't planning on hiking the whole way up. The first mile or so of the hike is steep, but there are trees and shrubbery all around, so it wasn't too bad. I just kept telling myself I would go as far as I could go. As the trees and shrubbery became sparse my heart rate started to increase, and it wasn't from the hiking. I kept my head down and stayed close to the inside of the trail. I was thinking I might be able to make it to the top, but there was a pretty good chance I would need to be air lifted off because going down is always worse.
Landon wanted to be the first Yarbrough ever to reach the summit of Mt. Lassen, so he made sure he was always in front. John took lots of pictures. He kept telling me not to turn around to see what was behind me when he was taking a picture. He would show me why later, haha. Also, I'm smiling on the outside but trembling on the inside. As we continued to climb, Kaylee started getting altitude sickness. She was a little dizzy, a little out of breath, and tired. We gave her lots of water, a snack, and slowed down a bit. She was a trooper!
Eventually we made it to the top. Not the summit, but the top. Landon and Kaylee were excited to see snow. There wasn't much, but when you live in Texas any snow is awesome. After playing in the snow it was time for those of us with enough guts to brave the summit. I gave it a go, but as we started to hike I just couldn't make myself go any farther. I sat down on a rock while the rest of them continued. And then, I decided that I'd made it so far already, what was one more extremely steep and slippery climb? So I started making (basically crawling) my way up. And, guess what? I made it! I was shaking so badly by the time I reached the summit that my brother noticed. But I did it! I hiked to the summit of Mt. Lassen. DIFTP Yo!
Ainsley and my parents were there to greet us at the bottom. Turns out they had an adventure of their own. My mom helped Ainsley and my dad with their fear of heights. They hiked quite a ways up. Far enough that they could actually see us thanks to Chris' red shirt. They took lots of their own pictures. Of course, my dad was taking the pictures, so he wasn't in any of them. It was a day full of fun, adventure, and lots of little (and big) successes.
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