Hiking Lake Lillian @ Night and Staying Overnight

I’m not usually afraid of hiking at night and this time was no exception. We got to Lake Laura Backdoor Trail at around 9:15pm on a Friday and the sun was long gone. There were 2 more cars in the parking lot which was a little comforting to know we wouldn’t have to share the lake with too many people but at the same time, that me and my hiking partner wouldn’t be the only ones up there. It creeped us out a little to hear a bunch of shots being fired in the far distance. We didn't know if that was hunting or what. It didn’t seem like. Well… Ok, we got our tracking poles, backpacks and headlamps on and started at roughly 9:25pm. The trail starts out through brushes, not too thick but the fact that I had been there before and knew the trail helped a lot, especially ‘cause it was dark. One can easily lose its way right after crossing the small creek, in the beginning of the climb if not paying close attention. Right now the trail is a little overgrown at parts but well maintained overall. We stopped a couple of times to drink some water and to take a deeper breath but got going in a very good pace. We soon reached the fork for Lake Laura but obviously didn’t go that way since we wouldn't be able to see anything and was late. Setting up tent was the only goal at that time. We kept going stopping sometimes just to make sure we were going the right way and trying not to get lost (overgrown areas as I said previously). Shortly after, I spotted two light beams directly aimed/pointed at me. I said hello and I heard a man’s voice saying “hi” back. We got closer and saw a tent with 2 people. One was holding his dog so it wouldn't bark. That was it. We had reached Lillian. I was very impressed that in no time we got to the top. Few more steps and we reached the end of the trail with the lake in front of us (we could hardly see a thing). I then found a great spot to set up tent right next to where the side trail to the Rampart Lakes start. Tent up, sleeping pads and bags in place. We decided to cook our mountain food (it was late, around 10:45, but we didn't want to wake up in the middle of the night starving). Sweet dreams… Next morning we woke up to a beautiful sky and lake in front of us. The sunlight was reaching one side of the hills only, making it a gorgeous sight. Time to explore around. We got around the left of the lake towards a higher rock I knew to have breakfast and sip some good coffee. That area is also the highlight of this hike. On one side you have Lillian. On the other side, you have Lake Laura down below, and a stunning view of I-90 area and Mt. Rainier on a clear day. Amazing day basking in the sun and taking in the views of the lake. Oh, not to mention I had brought my Bose SoundLink this time. We were ready to get back down right after lunch since my friend had to work that Saturday afternoon. We knew that the way down would be even worse than going up at parts. To me it was actually way harder to go down as I thought the ascending was impressively easy this time compared to the first time I did Lake Lillian. I guess descending is a little tougher because my knees have been suffering with all the hikes I’ve done lately. Anyway… this is always a great place to get away. Close to the city, short and decently steep!