Lake 22 #702

A friend just moved to the area, and as a fellow outdoorsman was anxious to see some of our lovely surroundings. With the lowering cloud ceiling making a summit somewhat less appealing, we opted for the good karma of the first hike I did myself upon first moving to the area several years ago.

It's not very often you can enjoy Lake 22 in complete solitude on a weekend, but that's indeed what we found. We passed one other hiker on his way up as we were headed down, and that was it.

The trail was in great shape. Watch the bridges and puncheon, though -- VERY slippery! If there had been any snow on the lower reaches of the trail, last week's warmth and rain eliminated it up until the last half-mile or so. A beautiful light snow did start falling about the time we reached the open boulder field, making for a great seasonal feel to the hike. At the lake itself, the path around is covered with very hard-packed snow...Yaktrax would help, but were by no means necessary.

On the way down, the ongoing flurries had left a nice dusting on the trail -- poles were certainly nice to have.

All in all, a great day!