I hiked to Lion Lakes and Snowbank Lake pretty early in the season (I would say early July if memory serves me correctly). Just the week before I hiked to Thunder Lake and on my way back ran into a guy who said he tried for Lion Lake but lost the trail in the snow. I was not surprised when I set out and found some snow shortly after the junction of the Thunder and Lion Lake trails.










The closer I got to Lion Lake, the harder the trail was to follow, and hiking it a few months later once the snow had melted, I could see that at times I had gone off but I did manage to find my way there eventually.




To get to Lion Lake #2 you have two choices. My recommendation would be to cross Trio Falls creek at some point and find your way up from the south side of it. However, this was my first time up and I stayed north and found my way up through the steep rock faces. This necessitated a crossing of Lion Lake #2 near its outlet, and yes, it was very cold (though it felt good on my feet, they went numb pretty much instantly). This will also make it easier to get to Snowbank Lake.














This was the last picture I took that day for two reasons. The first is that on my way back I totally lost the trail in the snow, stumbled upon some fresh footprints and followed but shortly lost these. I knew I wasn't going the same way as I had come up. In just a few minutes I knew I was totally lost, on top of a ridge somewhere and I stopped to get my bearings. Ahead of my was Mt. Alice, and with this landmark I was able to reorient myself and head the correct way.
I consulted my map and decided that I was probably somewhere closer to Thunder Lake trail than Lion Lake trail and thus continued south east. I ran into a trail and took it east, however I wasn't until I had crossed a creek over a small footbridge that I knew 100% where I was and where I should go.
This just taught me to be aware of my surroundings. I should have noticed that I was headed the wrong way before I did, but when things seemed not right to me, I was able to stop and get a pretty good idea of where I was and then point myself in the correct direction.
On the way back the far off thunder that I heard caught up with me, and at first it was awesome. I brought rain gear, so I was able to stay relatively dry through it and at first it was pretty cool to hear the thunder echoing through the valley. But as the storm caught up to me it went from neat to terrifying. I decided I should seek some shelter and since on the way up I had marked some overhanging boulders in my head (just in case), I huddled next to one of them. But this inspired me to find better shelter when I saw the flash of lightning and heard the loudest bang of thunder in my life in the same instant. I waited a few seconds and headed down the trail to hide under a roof like boulder for around 45 minutes. This was about the scariest 45 minutes of my life!
But finally the storm passed, and I headed on back to the car. A few more miles down the trail I ran into several inches of hail around 1/4 inch in diameter. I was glad I missed that. I got back to the car, and was happy to be out of the elements.
I learned two important lessons that I will take with me on this day. One: if you are not entirely sure where you are going or that you are going the right way, it is time to stop and figure things out. If I hadn't wasted that time wandering around, I may have been back to the car before the storm rolled in. Two: be aware of storms! If the weather looks threatening, get back below treeline. Be aware of your surroundings and note places that could offer you shelter if needed.
I am not sure when I will be able to get out again. At this point, I will hope for twice a month, but I will have to be happy with once a month. As always, have fun and be safe!
Lion Lake 1, 11080 feet- 6.3 miles one way, 2580 foot gain. Moderate.
Lion Lake 2, 11420 feet- 6.9 miles one way, 2920 foot gain. Moderate+.
Snowbank Lake, 11521 feet- 7.1 miles one way, 3021 foot gain. Moderate+.
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