October 2012. A few warm sunny days are forecast before fall settles in. We decide to visit the Lava Beds National Monument. It is less than a 3 hour drive southeast from where we live in Ashland, Oregon. The experience made a vivid impression on me. I jotted down some notes so as not to loose hold of the experience.
Schonchin Butte
My very first impression: Lava Beds is vast and unwelcoming – forbidding actually. We drive past Devil’s Homestead, an apt name for a dark and jagged basaltic lavascape. 
Then, our hike up Schonchin Butte near sunset time. The Butte is like a natural compass marking north, south, east and west. On the southwest side, where the sun is harshest, the slope is steep and completely devoid of vegetation…how is one to gain a foothold to reach the top? But the trail begins on the northeast slope, the cooler side where moisture-giving snows linger. There, by comparison, it is almost lush with vegetation. We wind our way up the trail through Western Juniper, sage and rabbitbrush. The junipers have richly textured trunks, an art form. The rabbitbrush is going to seed adding a soft cottony creaminess to the autumnal palette. At the top, we circle the crater rim and scramble a final pile of volcanic rubble.
A small research station with a viewing platform is securely cabled to the mass of pumice. When I catch my breath (we are at 6,000′), I stand in awe as I scan the horizon. Mt. Shasta (14,179′), a mere 50 miles to the west, lies afloat on a sea of smoky haze, seemingly a majestic and mystical island. To the east we see the lengthening shadow of the Butte, as the sun nestles into the haze, forming a pyramid on the desert floor. We take in the silence, the stillness, the beauty. I feel as if a symphony could spring forth from my soul – words seem inadequate to describe the experience. Silence is punctuated by a duet…Two crows are soaring up and down in calculated synchrony with the rise and fall of air. Pure joy!
Tule Lake
Schonchin Butte is a fitting and natural monument to a brave Modoc warrior. To the north lies Tule Lake. The Modocs lived along its shores fishing, gathering wocus from a lily-like plant, weaving tules for their huts and canoes. 
There they lived in harmony with earth, water and air until the arrival of white settlers. Conflicts arose, the settlers wanting to own the land to suit their ways.
Tule Lake…Site of the Modoc War where for months the Modoc Indians, entrenched in lava fortresses and caves, fended off the U.S. Army until they could no more. Also site of a Japanese internment camp, another dark and sad period in our history. 
Once about 8 times larger,Tule Lake today covers 13,000 acres, a shadow of what it once was. Thirsty farms and ranches have laid claim to its waters. Still, Tule Lake remains a vital sanctuary to waterfowl. It is a rest stop along the Pacific migratory flyway for nearly 300 different species of birds. Impossible to imagine – some of the geese have flown nonstop for two to three thousand miles. We see groups of geese and ducks numbering in the hundreds, but it is not yet the height of the migratory season.
Fern Cave
I generally avoid guided tours, but this is the only way to see Fern Cave. We set out to meet our guide at an appointed place. There are only 6 of us, the maximum allowed. We pile into her van and soon we are driving on a dusty road into a vast landscape of sage, rabbitbrush and bunchgrass…the color is warm and creamy softening the aridity of the desert.
Soon we arrive at the trail. We follow our guide, not knowing what to expect. And, there before us is a large hole in the ground, about 20′ across. A thick and heavy locked grate overlays it – it takes this much to keep out vandalizing beings! We peer into the hole and are stunned by the unexpected sight of ferns reaching out from deep inside towards the sun, forming a visually thirst-quenching garden of green. The grate is unlocked and a ladder introduced into the depths. We descend, one at a time. From now on the tour is led in silence. A path wends its way around a mound formed by the collapsed ceiling of what was once a lava tunnel. 
The mound is covered with moss along its base and crowned by a mass of ferns. The green in this otherwise dark cave is glowing from the sun. I stand in reverence at this altar, as do the others. A spiritual silence enfolds us. After a while our attention is directed to the walls surrounding us. Circles, suns, dots, lines, beings, animals…I try to discern a meaning in these pictographs. I wonder…was this cave used for ceremonial purposes? We are left to our own imaginings. Oral history here came to an abrupt end when, after the Modoc War, most of the Modocs were resettled in Oklahoma. I sense this cave was a revered site. As we slowly and reluctantly move to leave, one more wonder…Our guide has cast her light on a large rock upon which rests a small frog. It is a Pacific tree frog whose main habitat is in the redwoods along the coast. I ponder…how did it get here? It is not a solitary one…Our guide later tells us that at times the cave is filled with their calls. We spot some lizards and crickets before ascending the ladder back to the flat, dry, creamy colored landscape. Fern Cave is a gem; I have placed it on my personal list of natural wonders. As we depart, I feel grateful to our guide for the silence.
Glass Mountain
We decide to take a drive to the Medicine Lake Volcano, the largest volcano by volume in the Cascade Range, Mt Shasta being the second largest. It is a shield type volcano, its larger size and low profile resembling a warrior’s shield. 
Mt Shasta by contrast is a stratovolcano, formed by more explosive eruptions giving shape to its dramatic profile. At first, it is not apparent that we are driving up the flanks of a volcano…the terrain is gentle and densely forested. Medicine Lake, warm and shallow, is nestled into a forested and gently sloped caldera. Soon I am reminded of this areas turbulent history as we drive past lava flows and arrive at our destination – Glass Mountain. Amidst the mounds of pale volcanic pumice lie sculptural piles of black obsidian. To this day, obsidian is prized for its razor-like sharpness. (I have a slice in my pants as a reminder…how lucky it was not my skin!) This was a valued site to Modocs – a source for arrowheads, tools and trade. But is is to see the natural beauty of these sculptural forms amidst the crumbly gray that we came…oh, and maybe to pocket a piece or two.
More Caves and End Notes
Miles of tunnels were formed by hot rivers of lava. These flows cooled and hardened around the edges, forming tubes. Over time sections collapsed, forming open trenches and creating caves. There are some 700 caves at the Monument of varying degrees of accessibility and difficulty. A description of one cave catches my attention. Merrill Cave…Visitors once ice skated by lantern light on an enormous floor of ice. Due to changing air flows and human intrusion, very little ice is left today. We decide to visit Skull Cave. 
It is a remnant of 3 very large lava tubes, one on top of the other. A steep trail and many steps lead you into the pitch dark and cold depths. The trail ends at a gate beyond which is a floor of ice. Perhaps without human intrusion, the ice will eventually regain its once pristine and crystal clear quality. We visit one more cave, Big Painted Cave. Its grandeur reminds me of Grand Central Station, with a very obvious difference…utter silence! A trail leads you through a massive jumble of rocks. For a moment I visualize the power of the forces creating this space and I feel small, insignificant and powerless. I experience a brief unease knowing that these forces are still at work until my attention is drawn elsewhere. Here and there, we notice faded pictographs and we search for more. Ultimately, it is the vastness of the cave that impresses me…I feel humbled.
These were the highlights. I want to go back for more…to observe migrating birds flocking in masses and snow geese “making lace in heaven”, to explore more caves and to experience utter silence. This is one of the very rare places where I have experienced the shedding of noise from my body…what a relief!
