For labor day weekend in 2001, Eugenia and I went to Lassen Volcanic National Park for a two night backpacking trip along with Vanessa, Jill, Ralph and Steve. The trail we chose was to the Lower Twin Lake from the Summit Lake trail head. Our original plan called for spending the 2 nights in different lakes but we ended up just staying at the Lower Twin Lake back country campsite and doing a day hike to a volcanic crater on the second day. Since we didn't really explore the campsite the first night, we got a warning from a ranger for pitching our tents too close to the water. On the second night, we camped more than the required 100 ft. away from the lake shore. The trail itself wasn't that pretty but once we got to the lakes, it was fabulous and despite it being a labor day weekend, it was hardly crowded. The climb to the top of the crater was grueling and steep but it was well worth it. They actually call it a cinder cone. This was Eugenia's first backpacking trip and despite an ill fitting backpack, she did quite well.
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