Lake Twenty-Two is an entirely different hike in the winter than in summer. The difficulty of the incline is still present, exacerbated by seemingly double the streams and rivulets that one would see in summer, making the rockier portions of the trail more challenging. However, the sprawling snow-covered lake at the top was more than worth the effort.
Even though there were only a few flurries coming down at the bottom, barely halfway up, snow drifts had begun to accumulate in more open areas. I'd recommend tall boots or gaiters, as a big problem for me were all of the 3-6 inch deep streams we crossed. There were a few large trees down that necessitated some big steps and clambering, and one massive old growth monster that had been ripped up by the roots. A length of knotted rope helped make the needed detour around the old growth tree more doable.
After getting about two-thirds of the way up, the talus area opened before us, and was actually a bit easier in the winter than summer, as the compacted snow helped to fill in some of the nooks and crannies between the rocks on the trial. In this area is where the snow really turned from the occasional deep drift to an even, two foot deep coating. At this point, the microspikes I had were extremely helpful, as the compacted snow had turned to ice.
Once crossing through the saddle into the basin, the snow was thoroughly covering everything. We stayed near the bridge at the northern edge of the lake, as the view was excellent, and we were short on time. Additionally, though there was not a huge amount of snow piled along the southern cliff, there was enough for there to be some indications of vertical movement. Avalanches had been a hot topic of discussion on the way out, so we didn't risk it.
Coming down, the trail was manageable, and the wet rocks here and there didn't pose too much of a challenge, but certainly kept us on our toes. Be sure to take your spikes off around halfway back down! The road out had accumulated some snow while we were on the trail, so harsher weather than today would necessitate more than a sedan.
Overall, the hike was short and not terribly dangerous, but was definitely a challenging and intense day hike. I'd recommend some decent clothing and equipment for the variety of weather and terrain.
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