Oyster Dome

I left the parking area
around 9:00 am, with only a couple of cars parked on the side of the road. The day was perfect - sunny and cool. Not far up the trail I ran into several Pacific Trail Network folks working diligently on the trail. The path up was muddy, but not excessively so, and I ran into only a few people on the path. The Bat Caves were a good place for a lunch break, and the views from the Oyster Dome were nice - jewels of islands floating in the blue sea beyond the land. I tried to go further to Elephant Peak but the path was lost in a few inches of snow, so I went on to Lily Lake. An inner tube fisherman was complaining about too many people on the trail (what did he expect on a Saturday'). I had run into a woman who told me about a loop trail that I could take back to the road, and I tried to follow her directions. I got slightly lost at two unmarked intersections, but followed my instincts, and found myself on a very muddy and new looking path that brought me back to the cutoff to the Overlook that I didn't take when hiking up the trail in the morning. If you are going to wander around I would advise a map unless you like the sensation of wondering if you are on the right trail (I kinda enjoy it, as long as I know I can always backtrack). The PNT people were walking out looking pretty tired as I was heading back down the trail, seven hours later. Good of them to give their Saturday to keep the trail in shape.