Mount Margaret, Margaret Lake — Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021

Hiked to the top of Mt. Margaret and down to Margaret Lake.

The road was generally doable in my Prius, but on the way up I bottomed out while crossing a water bar (stayed right) maybe a quarter mile from the parking lot.  Crossed on the other side on the way down and it was fine.  Low-slung cars beware!

About 10 cars in the lot at 9am Wednesday, and a few less on my return at 2.  

The start of the trail is 'meh' but the top is 'yeah!' I walked right past the boot path to the top of the mountain (see picture).  It's about 100 paces past the talus slope (I was looking for a big boulder field).  It's really steep and the damp roots were slippery.  But the view from the top was great, and I had it all to myself for the half hour I was up there.  

Lake was lovely, and I had it to myself for an hour.  A cool breeze kept the mosquitoes at bay while I lunched on a lakeside rock.  A very cheeky chippy tried to climb onto my leg when I wasn't paying attention.  My shooing attempts went unheeded.  When I walked to the base of the talus slope to do some pika spotting, the bugs were on me in an instant.  Long sleeves and a head net kept them at bay, but I moved on after sighting 2 pika.  I heard at least 5.  

Despite the fantastic weather, the trail wasn't too crowded.  Gaia says 7 miles and 2200 vert for both the summit and lake (a slight undercount based on the topo map).