Labor Day '08 - Lassen Volcanic National Park

Went off to go backpacking for the first time with my girlfriend on labor day. She had expressed interest previously in going to see Mount Lassen; considering I had never been there myself (despite being in Chico for 4.5 years) I was up for the idea. So we left after work on Friday and made it up to Chico around 10 PM. Had dinner at Olive Garden (apparently she'd never been there and right now is their unlimited pasta bowl so I was "hell yeah, let's go"). Dinner went pretty quick and we were out the door.

Driving up highway 32 into the mountains was really dark (there was no moon) and our goal was to find a place in the National forest and just setup camp. As we got to the forest we continually saw signs saying area closed, no camping, and other things. We did finally find a place about 10 miles from the Lassen Volcanic National Park to pull off and setup camp, but by this point I was falling asleep. I didn't want to drive any more and Nahoko had already been sleeping so wasn't keen on having her drive.

Awaking the next morning was nice (I love those drive and camp trips) and we got going early. Arriving at the entrance gate at 8 AM we then had the issue of not enough change to make the $10 fee and no one was at the gate yet. After finding someone who had change we paid and were on our way.

Checking out the sites on the drive in, including the sulfur vents (cool stuff), we finally got to the trailhead, only to realize we couldn't get the permit there (the Ranger Station that was supposed to be there isn't there). We were forced to continue driving to the other entrance and get our permit there.

NOTE: The permit was self registration so we actually could have got it at the first entrance we came in; I simply was being stupid and didn't realize that fact when filling out the entrance fee...damnit.

Our hike was getting a late start and the trailhead parking lot was packed. Labor Day weekend visitors seem to be a constant problem for me (in 2006 I made the mistake of going up near Pinecrest thinking I could find first come first campsites...yeah right. Still found a spot for dispersed camping (basically pull off the road and camp within the National Forest), but quite a hassle.

The plan:
Day 1: hike from Summit Lake trailhead out to Snag Lake (about 7.5 miles)
Day 2: hike from Snag Lake to Horseshoe Lake (about 3 miles)
Day 3: hike out from Horseshoe back to Summit Lake trailhead (about 7.1 miles)

Actual: see above ;)

The hike in was tough unfortunately. Mostly related to pack issues for both of us because of bad packing or adjustments to the straps, but we still managed. Stopping to take plenty of pictures of course also slowed us down a bit ;), but worth it. There were lots of burned out areas along the way and at Snag Lake it was no difference. The lake was surprisingly low compared to others we had seen. Not to mention every lake was very shallow (like walk out 15' and still be only just above your knees).

Our hike on Sunday was short so we just enjoyed the morning. Staying warm, chatting, napping, whatever, we just didn't really move much. Finally got up, ate some breakfast, and eventually crawled out to break camp. The hike was much more scenic this day. Also saw our first bear scat (gross), but at the time I wasn't sure if it was bear or not...now I know (FYI, we saw several more throughout that day and Monday). As we got to Horseshoe Lake all we could say was "IT'S HUGE!" And quite beautiful too and definitely worth stopping at. Only irritating part was we needed a break and it was another mile around the lake before we could camp (there were signs saying "no camping next 1 mile". We made it of course, found a nice spot and set up camp. Early in the day, but that's ok. Got some rest, relaxed, enjoyed the mountains, and then eventually got up to do some fishing, filter some water, and make some dinner. The night was cold...

Waking up the next morning I was freezing. I had mentioned to Nahoko the night before that I though the view would be beautiful on the lake in the morning early and worthy of a picture; didn't think she'd bug me to get me out of my sleeping bag ;). I did get up, but I was in shorts and TShirt (warm in my bag, but not out of it). It was beautiful and worth seeing.

The hike out took a while and we were a bit tired, but all in all it wasn't bad. More climbing, but still nothing too bad. My feet needed some attention for sure.

Reaching the car was rewarding. It was a short weekend, but very enjoyable. Can't wait for the next one with my love.

:)