Incredible day in the mountains!
Swim 1 – Manzanita Lake:
Manzanita Lake was colder than I expected—probably mid to upper 50s. A neoprene cap would’ve been nice. After about five minutes, my head adjusted, and I started to enjoy it. The water was crystal clear, and I could see trout swimming beneath me, which was pretty cool.
Bike to Lassen Peak:
Perfect day for the ride. The road from the Devastated Area to the Summit Peak parking lot was closed to cars, so only cyclists and hikers were out there. That made it feel special. There was a lot more snow than I expected—massive 15-foot snowbanks near the Summit parking lot. The Kings Creek area was absolutely stunning. I stopped there to filter water from a spring along the road.
Lassen Hike:
Several sections of the trail were still snow-covered. Other hikers said microspikes weren’t needed, so I left mine at the trailhead. The snow forced me off the main trail at times, which meant some navigation challenges and a few steeper, slower sections. Honestly, that was one of the highlights—the added navigation made it feel more adventurous and unique.
Bike to Manzanita Lake:
Epic descent—fast and fun almost the whole way down. There’s a solid climb near the end, and I was definitely feeling the fatigue by that point.
Swim 2 – Manzanita Lake:
I was pretty tired for the second swim. My fingers started cramping, which was odd. The toughest part came right at the end—when I hit the shallow water and tried to stand up, both legs cramped hard. For a second, I wasn’t sure I could even get out of the water. Kind of funny, kind of scary. I forced my legs to cooperate, jogged up to the starting sign, and stopped my watch.
Timing:
I recorded each segment separately on my Garmin Fenix 8 and tracked the overall event on my Apple Watch. My total time was 7:38:37, including transitions and the short runs from the start to the water and from the lake back to the finish sign.