Trail to Dorothy Lake was wide open. Some mud and water (streams) on trail but not too bad going up. Reached patches of snow at the top (approx 1/4 mile from lake). Going around lake even more patches of snow. The two camp site I saw were covered with snow or mud. Hope you all enjoy the outdoors.

Very nice day for a short hike to Dorothy lake. Trail was in great condition right up to the lake. Just prior to the lake there is snow to go through. It is not to bad if you follow along the creek. We decided to try to find the trail up the hill and got lost. We broke through the snow all over the place and ended up having to hike down the hill through the brush to get to the lake. The lake was beautiful. There is still a little bit of ice on it near the exit but not much.

Trail is snowfree and reasonably dry to the bridge. Beyond, there were spots of running water, dripping water, and snow patches with undercut edges and centers. Luckily I was wearing the heavy boots, so this ol' overhang and snowbridge stomper collapsed any potential trouble spots. This is, to me, great fun; yet probably saves the sneaker-hiker brigade from falling through. Snow becomes pretty solid mere minutes before the junction sign. The well trod path continues staight ahead and down to the lakeshore. A few deep holes here need to be avoided, but the going is easy. A few spots had melted enough for dry lunching. DAR took the left, less used trail up the ridge, reconnecting at the lakeshore when I failed to join him. The lake is very pretty right now, with a film of ice over most of the surface and snow clinging to the surrounding peaks. DAR and I basked in the sun for a two hour lunch; for most of the time we were the only two there. It finally seems we're really ""getting into the mountains"" this year. The usual hordes began showing up about 2:00 at the lake, and lots of people were coming up as we were going down. The trailhead parking was full, unlike the late morning when we were only the third vehicle there.

We got a late start but made up some time since the road to the Lake Dorothy trailhead is now open. At 10:30am we were the only car that managed to make it to the trailhead parking lot. There was only about 6"" of snow there. We were the only ones on the trail that day which was a nice change. We decided to carry our snowshoes instead of wearing them which turned out to be a good decision. About 100yds up the trail there were 4 trees that had fallen over the trail. It's not too difficult getting around them though. Right after the bridge crossing the river though the trail conditions were aweful. There was at least one turnpike that was completely washed out and I saw at least 4 exposed culverts. Almost the entire trail has become a small stream. The water moving down the trail was incredible. The good news was that as we climbed in elevation the water turned to snow. We got to the lake at about 12:00am and sat down for lunch. We heard a large roar and looked across the lake to see an avalanche come crashing down. We never did put our snowshoes on. The snow wasn't really deep enough to use them until we got to the lake. We decided to head back to the car when the snow started coming down pretty heavily. Got back to the car at about 1:30pm.

This trip began with a late night hike from the trail head to LK Dorothy. The trail is well maintained and mostly mud free. No blowdowns up to the pass between dorothy and deer. Many different wildflowers and wildlife are visible along the trail. Deer and Bear lakes are extremely beautiful destinations to hike along. The only problems we encountered are two large blowdowns above deer lake and a insect population to rival the wildest jungle on southeast asia. As we were departing the trail on Sunday the NYC group was gearing up to fix the switchbacks above dorothy. They also planned to remove the blowdowns above deer. Have a good trip and see you on the trails.