Rachel Lake — Wednesday, Jul. 22, 2020

My first time hiking a trail this long. It is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL trail - lots of waterfalls, variety in views and landscape and a lovely lake at the end. We also had a gorgeous sunny day. There were a lot of streams and places where you have to cross some running water as well as mud. We second guessed ourselves a few times on the path since some parts aren’t obvious and/or look more like streams than trail. I am not an outdoor expert by any means and neither was my friend but we managed to figure it out. Just know that it’s not always obvious and might not be a bad idea to get the map if you’ve never been here and are more on the novice side of hiking. I would absolutely recommend hiking boots because of the mud and water as well as the variety of terrain. We didn’t have poles and weren’t necessary but they wouldn’t be a bad idea if they make you feel more comfortable or help you with endurance.

We got to the trailhead around 8:45 am. Lots of people in the lot but not full. We only saw 2 or 3 groups on the way up. On the way down we passed about 6. Not everyone was wearing a mask which is disappointing but we were and just turned away as they passed. We didn’t stay long at the top because the mosquitos were HORRIBLE. So many mosquitos. There were a lot along the trail (especially by the water of course) but the lake was almost unbearable. You need good repellent. I had on a citronella/lemongrass natural spray - it helped some but was not sufficient. We were back to our car at about 2:30 pm. The parking lot was full.

My legs were tired at the end of the hike but I highly recommend it. Just need to prepare well for mosquitos.