California-Oregon NPs-Pinnacles, Lassen Volcanic, Crater Lake-0426-2726
I had a lot of factors to consider when I planned this trip. One of them was timing. I expected to be covering a wide area, with a climate ranging from southern California’s Pacific coast and the deserts of Joshua Tree and Death Valley to the potentially still snow-bound mountainous northern California and southern Oregon parks, that is, if I wanted to avoid the expected summer crowds. I had gotten as good as I could reasonably expect by coming in mid- to late-April and had high hopes that the warm weather would continue with Pinnacles, but I would soon hit the cooler end of the situation with Lassen Volcanic and Crater Lake national parks. Each park had a high likelihood that at least one section would be closed due to snow. Plus, as part of my need to pack lightly for the trip, I was traveling with only a jean…