Eightmile Lake

This hike was a good deal easier than I expected. Although much of the elevation gain happens in the first mile, it never gets intolerable. After that it is mostly a gently rolling trip up the river valley. This is a genuinely kid-friendly hike that never gets too hard. The entire area suffered massive forest fires in the mid-90’s, and you hike through the resulting devastation all the way to the lake. Huge swaths of dead, silver-snag trees cover the surrounding mountainsides, looking like an evil wizard cast some kind of horrific frost spell (see picture). Fireweed and Indian Paintbrush dominate the foreground-- they seem to grow back before anything else after forestfires. Enjoyed a bug-free rest at the lake, but left after half an hour because the wind kept getting stronger and colder.