My friend John and I decided to head out for Lake 22. Overall, the trail is in great condition. I must warn hikers to be very careful in crossing on the boardwalks. Some of them were coated with black ice and treacherous! We only encountered one blowdown which wasn't a problem.

There just isn't any snow!!!! Don't bother bringing snowshoes. First patches of snow occurs roughly at 2350' or so. There is maybe a half foot of packed down snow at the lake and it's frozen over.

The trees and waterfalls were lovely as usual. We were fortunate to have the lake to ourselves. On our way down, we counted 30-plus hikers going up! Well, Happy Hiking!

John M.

This hike has an alpine lake feel at a very low elevation, making it a great choice when the higher country is snowed in.

Continuous snow begins at elev. 2400, less than a quarter mile from the lake. The trail is otherwise very passable.

Briefly: Time going in - 60 min. running (minus a several minute light bulb change). Time going out - 40 min. running. Trail has good climb to it over the whole course but numerous rocks and roots makes footing a little hard. I personally had a great time.

Looking to do some trail running I ventured onto the Lake 22 route which begins in really good shape. The first quarter is pretty standard trail with some exposed roots and rocks, and a couple of small areas of water crossing the trail. There is a fairly large tree blown down at about the one-third point. Easy enough to climb over. Towards the end of the first third there are some pretty muddy spots for two or three switchbacks. These will grab onto your feet pretty well.

The second half though climbs pretty steadily and presents many roots and even more rocks with a large rock field about midway through. Be careful as the exposed and uncovered areas are very slick. I started my run at 5:30 am so that contributed to the conditions. But there are numerous water crossings in this portion as well. Be very careful through this rock field though. The trail is recognizable but pay attention to your footing and keep your hands free. If you want to sightsee, stop first.

Once out of the rock field (I think)there is a bridge crossing a creek. This bridge has a left-to-right tilt, so be careful, especially as it is a little slick also. The last third still has lots of roots and rocks, so you still need to pay attention. Although you should be able to make a pretty good pace to the lake. About 1/4 mile from the lake is several inches of crusted snow, which is slick from having foot traffic pack it down. This last a hundred yards or so, then it opens down to the lake. The lake is beautiful as well as the summit that rises (I believe) up from the south side of it.

A great day for a great trail. I had never hiked this trail yet, thus a November cold day to hike up into the snow seemed perfect without the summer crowds. Trail work note: two enourmous uprooted blowdown have messed up the trail, with the tree roots taking some trail with them. The good news is that both the big ones are within no more than 200 yards of the trailhead! They are not trail blocking, however.

There must of been a good blow recently, as the trailhead parking area has the top 40' of a snapped tree lying in it as well, but one can drive around it.

I had dreams the entire drive up of stunning waterfall photography, stunning even-lighting in the virgin forest for images to be created, and climaxed by snow at the lake with reflections of snow-clad cliffs across the lake of the Mount Pilchuck ridges. My dreams were all in place for me! But...unfortunately the images had to all be placed in my memory back in my head, not on the 8 rolls of slide film I had with me. As I took image #3 for the day of the blowdowns just after leaving the trailhead, the mirror locked up and froze there, never to work again. No more photos...all batteries were replaced w/o help. The only failure on my part was that the usual backup camera FM2 body I ""always"" have with me...wasn't. So a great lesson learned photography wise on a day that was only for me and not some important assignment.

This hike is prime right now. The reflections on Lake 22 can't be better, as when the lake starts to freeze, we'll lose the crisp reflection. The waterfalls are out of this world nice. The people aren't thick, although I forgot today was a state holiday, so with schools out and such, there were 5-6 other cars at the trailhead. A picture perfect 2-3"" of snow at the lake.

Oh, mushrooms could easily take up 4 rolls of photos alone! Fall is prime fun, isn't it' I'll get back next week, with more camera backups or a new F5 to try out....