Thunder Mountain Lakes — Friday, Sep. 24, 2021

Wow. 14 miles and 4,000 feet gain Sept. 24, out and back from Tunnel Creek Trailhead to Thunder Mountain Lake #1. Left the house at 5 a.m. and started at the trailhead at 8 a.m. We followed the Tunnel Creek Trail for about 1.5 miles before joining a 3 mile segment of the Pacific Crest Trail at Hope Lake. We followed the PCT up to Trap Lake, passing through meadows and hillsides covered in berry bushes exploding with fall color. Where the PCT heads downhill to Surprise Lake, we split off and followed a vertical boot path uphill to the first Thunder Mountain Lake. At about 1 p.m. and after 5 hours of hiking, including almost a mile of intermittent boulder hopping using a network of cairns for way-finding, we were less than a half mile from our destination. We were worried about running out of daylight on the way back, so we decided to climb up the nearest ridge, stop for our snack, call it quits and turn around. But then feeling renewed by food and electrolytes, and being so close to the summit, we changed our minds and made one last push to the lake, reaching it in about 30 minutes. And it was so worth it! We wandered around the lake until about 2 p.m and decided it was time to head back to avoid hiking down the steep Tunnel Creek in the dark. We made it to the car about 6 p.m. for a total of 10 hours hiking time. Definitely one of the most challenging hikes I've ever done, Dad had to carry my backpack for me part of the way back because I was running on fumes! Unless you're a pro, don't underestimate the amount of time it will take you to hike the last stretch. I wouldn't really say there was any scrambling necessary, but the boulder hopping can be time consuming if you lose sight of the cairns. And every time you think you've reached the top, brace yourself for a false summit. But start early, and just keep going!