No bugs at this time of year but lots of water. 

There are a couple of significant blowdowns across the trail that require crawling under/around/through.

The level of Jade lake has risen and the trail is under a couple of inches of water. We did not wade past this section but were told by those who did that at least some of the tent sites were flooded. 

I was thinking to squeeze in a last long day-hike up to Tank Lakes but I wasn't fast enough with these shortening days. I went up to the branch for Tank Lakes and came back. In total it took 8h 40m.

The lakes are gorgeous and there are tons and tons of ripe berries. This would be a great place to backpack, set up a base camp, and do day hikes out to nearby areas.

The trail is in good condition overall, just a bit slippery in places. The early section of the trail is nice and comfortable for running but it becomes more rocky and steep as it goes.

The forest road has a number of potholes but I could navigate them in a sedan. Rt 2 is undergoing construction in a few places which led to single-lane sections with flaggers and that added some time.

The East Foss trail is a delightful walk in the woods for the first mile.  We hiked the valley up to the crossing of the Foss.  The outhouse at the trailhead is still locked.  From there to the bridge is easy going and somebody made major improvements to the bridge.  Thank you.  There are 4 blowdowns overhead, easy to walk under upright.  A half mile past the bridge the undergrowth from the summer encroached on the trail significantly.  The worst section is at the 5 puncheons.  Puncheon 2 is either overgrown or deteriorating and puncheon 3 is broken.  We stopped at a knoll for lunch and then headed back.

Hiked up Sunday from East Fork Foss trailhead to Emerald Lake and set camp on a rocky point above the water. Destination this time was Tank Lakes, and I thought I might do it all in one go, but my legs and spirits disagreed. I always find it more relaxing to set up camp with a couple hours of daylight left, especially when hiking solo, so it was an easy decision to make an early camp, let my legs rest, and wander a little.

Jade, Emerald, and Opal lakes were beautiful, as expected. I'd only previously seen them during a winter overnight a few years ago. One couple who left the trailhead around the same time as me later passed by my early camp on their way up to Tank Lakes that evening. About half a dozen trail runners came down not long before sunset, the last of the bunch confirming they'd come from Tank Lakes, after ascending via the West Fork Foss trail. What a run for a single day!

Broke camp the next morning, tent wet with heavy dew, and headed up to Tank Lakes. I ascended the moraine right after skirting around the last forested patch, opting to climb higher sooner rather than stay low and wait.

Tank Lakes and the general table land are a fabulous alpine environment. Lots of places to wander and explore and just take in the sights. Plentiful delicious huckleberries. Only a few other people up there on Monday.

After a few hours of wandering and lunch on the "sandy" shores of one of the lakes, I hike down and out. Just like my last time up there, the worst part was the descent from Jade to the East Foss, which killed my knees. Second worst part was the interminable 5 mile slog along the river back to the car with aching knees.

Hiked up to Tank Lakes on 9/5/20 for two nights over Labor Day Weekend.

Trail: Trail is in good shape but can be difficult to follow past Emerald Lake. We tried to follow the Gaia maps, but got off route and ended up taking a longer path to Tank Lakes.

The Lakes: It seemed like everyone was camped around the southern most Tank Lake, which has easy water access and amazing views of chimney rock. The northern Tank Lake was also very pretty but more difficult to access.

Camping: There are no shortage of camp sites around both Tank Lakes as well as the ridge just south of Tank Lakes. We found a nice spot that was more secluded and quiet. However, even on Saturday night there probably weren't more than 12 groups camping in the area.

Honestly one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever done. There were tons of blueberries around Emerald lake and up by Tank Lakes as well. The hike itself was pretty difficult for my partner and I with full packs, but it was well worth it!