The trail was mostly surface frozen around 10:00 with a few deep mud holes, but otherwise in good shape. Many of the wetland plants are on the ground after the freezing weather. The meadows were very vibrant with late-fall colors. Snow Lake has light ice. The hills around the lake are still snow-free. Bench Lake was ice free. I had a second thought as I was leaving and thought the high clouds might blow over. I waited; the blue sky returned, the wind calmed and Mt. Rainier's reflection appeared in the lake.

This was my first backpack in over a year, and the first ever for my two 7-year old daughters. We all had a total blast! The trail is about a mile and a half from the road to the campsites at Snow Lake, with a lot of ups and downs along the way. Plenty of views towards Unicorn Peak or Rainier (depending on whether you're heading "in" or "out"), and lots of time spent in meadows burnt with fall colors. Less than a half mile from the trailhead, we saw a momma bear and two cinnamon cubs about 200 yards off the trail at the meadow's edge. It was really cool to just be able to stand and watch them for 20 minutes or so. I had to wait for 30 years to see my first bear in the wild....but my kids got the same treat in 15 minutes!! Go figure. The girls carried their packs with sleeping bags and small pillows, and I trudged along with everything else - lots of socks, warm clothes, card games, story books, etc. So much for travelling light for me. Once at camp, we fished for our dinner - no luck with that, but the girls were thrilled with the alternative....ramen! They also liked the idea of peeing in the woods and not having to brush hair in the morning. However, the pit toilet did kind of catch them off guard. The evening sky was clear and we stared at the stars over Unicorn Peak until the chill in the air sent us back to the tent for games of Uno and stories. The next morning, we crashed. We weren't even moving around until after 9:00 - it was great. We fished, played games, etc. Had breakfast at 11:30, and then messed around some more. Of course, we caught our trout after all the cooking stuff had been packed away. So, he was released to be caugtht another day. The Park Service may not be thrilled with having fish in the lake, but we all enjoyed it! We finally left our campsite at 2:00 PM or so, and as the girls seemed to be getting a little tired, we made a bickering-filled walk back to the car. Nonetheless, the girls loved the trip, were thrilled with the wildlife, and were very proud of themselves for having hiked and spending a night camping "away from the car." The burgers and chili on the way home were a hit as well, and the girls are already talking about the next trip. That is exactly the result I was hoping for.

A bit tired from a not-so-great night’s sleep at the Paradise Inn, and stiff and sore from yesterday’s 10k hike, we opted for a shorter and “easier” one today before heading home. Even though the distance is relatively short (2.5 miles), there are still lots of ups and downs. Much of the trail has been made into high and deep stairs, which is challenging for those with short legs or if you haven’t been working out on a stair-stepper lately. Still, the scenery is beautiful and the lakes are stunning. We took a quick look at Bench Lake from the main trail and kept going to spend more time at Snow Lake. The color and clarity of this lake were amazing. It was a very calm day, so the reflections on the water of the clouds and trees were just beautiful. Lots of fish were jumping, with no fishermen in sight. After resting at the lake, we continued on, beyond the end of the maintained trail. Someone had told us there was a waterfall to see up that way but the one we found was not all that impressive. We saw some hikers up ahead, scrambling their way up a huge rock fall area, but we decided at that point to head back.

The Stevens Canyon road is now open. At the trailhead, the snow level is 6 to 10+ feet. Our group hiked on firm snow past both lakes (both of which remain buried under snow) on our way to climb Unicorn Peak.

As with our Mildred Point hike the day before, we left Copper Creek Inn around 11:00 AM and shortly thereafter were on the trail to Snow Lake. This is a nice small hike, the trail with plenty of steps up and some down. We went past both Bench Lakes, then on up to Snow Lake. Not a lot of others out on this trail, considering how busy the park was. Snow Lake was quite peaceful. Then we sat upon the big rock just below Snow Lake for a bit, then headed back down for another round of blueberry picking. They were quite plentiful here, although the foliage on the Bench is starting to show early signs of autumn. But those yummy berries. Oh yes indeed!