The trail is snow free to Upper Melakwa Lake. There are some snow patches around Upper Melakwa and some very icy exposures up towards Melakwa Pass. The windfalls at the lower elevations have been removed and the really nasty one just below Hemlock Pass has been limbed. Six remain on the trail. There are some brushy spot through the avalanche slopes. Both Melakwa and Upper Melakwa Lakes are open. The day started very Saturday-like -- overcast and raining. The sky cleared in the late afternoon. Tomorrow is supposed to be better; so that means all the sinners will be out desecrating the Lord's Day; makes the crowds unbearable for us pagans!

Denny Creek trail open to Melawka Lake. no snow (ok, a tiny patch three feet wide). a litlle mud at the top. Easy stream crossings. Heck, there was even a ranger waiting around at the lower Denny Creek crossing giving everyone a hand.

Hiked to Melakwa Lake. Trail is generally wet, with snow over parts in higher elevations. Lots of trees over trail, making it somewhat difficult to navigate with small children or non-agile dogs. Snow melt is moving into full force, making streams much higher than they usually are at this time of year. Bridge (i.e., log) from trail to far side of Melakwa Lake is down; water too high to get to other side.

A tail of three trails. I did my yearly Pratt/Melakwa/Denny ""loop"" closing it with a short downhill bike glide. A nice 15mi/3000 day hike. The trail to Pratt Lake is in wonderful shape and snow-free (a rarity this year). The trail to Lower Tuskahootchie (I can't pronounce or spell it) is only slightly overgrown. Hadn't seen a soul to this point but the family ""cavorting"" about 1/3 around the lake broke that enviable trend. The ""trail"" to Melakwa Lake was very overgrown with lots of thorny brush. Thankfully the brush was not too wet, but it was rather slow going. Encountered the normal mid-week hordes at still somewhat snow-bound Melakwa Lake. I retreated to the upper tarn for a dip but there were too many icebergs. Got semi-naked on a rock and enjoyed the masssive walls. The upper 1/3 of the trip down the Denny Creek trail was a chore. More snow than expected and lots of trees down. Some hero jumps were required to cross some raging streams. Lots of water running down the switchbacks. There was even still some significant snow at the upper log crossing. The lower crossing at the slabs below the falls was on a rather rotten and slippery narrow log. Lots of tourists encountered on lower trail, including a German in sandals wondering where the snow started. Much better than a day at the office!