Rainy Lake, Middle Fork

Well this one proved a little too hidden for us. We made it close, but not quite far enough.

The washout on the Middle Fork is repaired and nearly all the potholes up to that point are filled. Beyond the washout there are some humungus holes to dodge though.

We parked at the Middle Fork trailhead and started down river towards Rainy Creek. A quick climb and we were walking over the log crossing and on our way into the woods. The trail was easy to follow for the next few miles, paralleling Rainy Creek. There were a few blowdowns and downed branches to negotiate.

Further up the trail leaves Rainy Creek and heads upslope. Around here we started to encounter snow. Fortunatley there were also a few helpful flags to follow. Another half mile and we encountered the unmarked creek. We knew we had to cross it sooner or later, but were unable to find any flags to guide us. So we crossed low and headed towards Rainy Creek hoping to follow it up to the lake.

The snow got the better of us and we settled for the ridge near the lake. Route finding on this one is very difficult with the snow. Most likely we crossed the creek too low. We'll be back once the snow is gone to try again.