Gothic Basin

Perfect day for a hike. The road to Monte Cristo was bustling, with both hikers and bikers, as well as some landowners doing a bit of maintenence. A big thanks to those who worked on the trail just before the Gothic Basin/Monte Cristo split. What was muck and mud two weeks ago, was now dry as a bone, with freshly seated wood chips and clay. Once on the Weeden Creek/Gothic Basin trail, the hike was brutal as ever for the next mile. The first clef at 3900' was still a bit a snow-covered, but it was easy to cross. The next two clefs were easy to cross as well, and almost completely snow free. About a 1/2 mile from the last clef is when I completely lost the trail. The snow was pretty widespread, and there were some really dangerous moats. I turned back just below Foggy Lake, because I lost the trail completely, and didn't want to risk anything, being on my own. Great hike to that point however, can't wait to come back in 2-3 weeks and get to the lake.