This hike is worth revisiting with every change of the seasons.
We hiked to Surprise Lake on Wednesday, the 22nd. We arrived at the trailhead at 9:20 and hit the trail at 9:50 pm. Note: You must drive across a well-marked but very active set of train tracks. There is an acceptable open-air wood box seated latrine for those in need. The trial is adequately signed.
We wore micro spikes and carried snow shoes. We never felt it was worth stopping to put them on. The trail has several interesting creek crossings and patches of ice. There was very little post-holing and for the most part, the trail is well worn into the snow. The views were varied and stunning!
We arrived at the lake at 2:20, enjoyed a 20-minute lunch, and then headed back to the trailhead. We reached the car at 5:40. The last third of the hike was in near darkness. At this time of year, a head lamp's value is obvious.
The snowpack appeared stable with a lot of hoar frost on the surface.
Hats off to " The Kids Won't Hike" That pair must have booked! They visited the lake and climbed the slope to Little Spark Plug's peak in roughly the same amount of time that we took to reach the lake. Their trail report inspired us to give their track a try and we will definitely try again but with a much earlier start. Again, thank you for taking the time to share!
Comments