Lake Caroline, Windy Pass — Monday, Jun. 29, 2020

Trail is snow-free and sites are completely melted at Caroline.  Wildflowers were lovely.  Some mosquitos but it was pretty windy- I’m sure they would have been a lot worse without the wind!  No noteworthy snow on the trail between Caroline and Little Caroline; backpacker sites and horse camp at Little Caroline were also snow-free and dry (I only saw 2 decent tentsites at Little Caroline; all the sites at big Caroline were great).  A few small patches of snow on the way up to Windy Pass, but nothing major; I was fine without microspikes (but did appreciate my poles).  The trail was pretty soggy/running water in places in the basin below the pass, so I was glad to have worn my waterproof boots instead of the trail runners I normally hike in.  

I did have a deer walk through my campsite who was clearly very comfortable around people and wasn’t shy about seeking salt, which was a great reminder to pee only in the toilet (or at least well away from all tentsites)!