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I started my hike from Summit Lake at about 2:30pm. The sky
was filled with clouds, some of which looked like they could
produce some rain. But I figured I wasn't walking toward a peak,
so I would be relatively safe (although large bodies of water
aren't that safe, either).
The trail starts climbing immediately -- a 500 foot climb which
includes a nice view of Lassen Peak. It's then flat for a short
while before starting a descent toward the first lake. At this
point I ran into 2 of the 6 people I saw on this hike -- a mother
and her 5 or 6 year old son, who were heading back.
Lassen Peak
The trail threads almost entirely through a relatively dense forest.
This is peaceful, but doesn't provide much in the way of views.
After just under 2 miles, I reached Echo Lake. It's a decent-sized
lake, but nothing extraordinary about it. After I took some pictures,
I ran into two women who'd been backpacking. They'd stayed 2 nights
at Snag Lake, which they said was beautiful. To my inquiry they
said they hadn't seen any bears. Snag Lake lies next to the Fantastic
Lava Beds and Cinder Cone. Looks like it might be a nice trip.
Echo Lake
I continued downhill past the lake, and past a couple more unnamed
and uninteresting lakes. Eventually I came to Upper Twin Lake
-- much bigger than Echo Lake. At this time, I started to feel
raindrops. And then I realized it was so cold that it was actually
snow -- the sort that melts as soon as it touches the ground.
It wasn't raining hard, and I didn't hear thunder or lightning.
It didn't look too threatening, so I pressed on. I figured I was
a long way from my tent, anyway.
I'd seen a television program about bears the previous night.
It mentioned a story from 1996 in Alaska where two backpackers
were attacked by a bear. The bear actually followed them and killed
one of them. So I had that image in my mind as I walked alone
on the trail. But the fact that the camp didn't have bear storage
lockers told me it wasn't a major problem. And the backpackers
hadn't seen any bears (now you know why I asked). So that dispelled
most of my fears.
Raindrops falling on Lower Twin Lake
I reached Lower Twin Lake and had a view of Fairfield Peak behind
it. I walked to the other end of the lake as it continued to rain
lightly. I could see the drops in the lake as the ducks swam by.
I ate my lunch by the lake. As it started to rain some more I
started to pack up. I heard a strange noise further down the trail.
I waited, but didn't hear anymore. I decided to return to my camp
as planned.
Mist gliding over Echo Lake
Gradually the weather improved. When I reached Echo Lake, fine
wisps of fog were sliding over the surface. I'd find a similar
phenomenon on Summit Lake when I returned to camp.
Forest above Echo lake
I ran into two more hikers about a mile from camp. This part of
the trail is very sandy, and I was glad to have my trekking poles
to help me push my way through. After a brief level section, it's
downhill all the way to camp.
Mist over Summit Lake
Return to Lassen Volcanic NP trip report.
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