Volcanologist Dr. Cathie Hickson points out some of the features of a grotto in an old lava flow near Falls Creek east of Clearwater Lake campsite on Saturday. Hickson wrote her Ph.D. thesis on the volcanoes of Wells Gray Park. She gave a three-day workshop last weekend on the volcanic features in the southern part of the park as part of Wells Gray World Heritage Year.
Left: Hickson examines a piece of lava from the Dragon’s Tongue with a hand lens. The lava came down about 4,000 years ago and blocked the end of Clearwater Lake, eventually creating what is now called Osprey Falls. The dam was originally much larger and probably let go catastrophically.
Right: A man stands in a tree mold in the Dragon’s Tongue lava flow. It was formed when
lava flowed around a living tree. The tree burned but not before the lava cooled enough to form a mold. Some molds preserve enough detail that the tree species can be identified. Younger ones may contain pieces of charcoal that can be used to radio-carbon date the eruption. Hickson, formerly with the Geological Survey of Canada, wrote her Ph.D. thesis on the volcanoes of Wells Gray Park. She put on a three-day workshop last weekend as part of Wells Gray World Heritage Year. The next event on the schedule is Waterfall Park: A Celebration with Trevor Goward at Upper Clearwater Hall on Saturday at 10 a.m.
Below: 
Cathie Hickson (center in red cap) points out some of the features visible in a grotto formed out of an old lava flow near Falls Creek east of Clearwater Lake campground. The basalt columns always form at right angles to the cooling surface, she says.
