Trail is in good condition through Lake Stuart: 10-20 blowdowns, most easy to bypass. The next has 50-100, and the trail is significantly harder to follow. Once you turn up towards the lake, it's just a brutal 0.75mi (though easy to follow). Give yourself 45-60min up and 75-90 down; the dirt chute in the last 0.1mi is particularly treacherous both ways. Don't bother bringing any extra water weight up or down the vertical; there are basically always streams to filter. Trail is snow-free the entire way, and traffic is very light; I had Horseshoe Lake to myself.
The weather at Horseshoe can be very different from the weather 0.1mi below. As soon as I hit the lake, the temperature dropped 5-10 degrees, the wind picked up 15-20mph, and a light drizzle started.
Bugs were not a problem with spray and motion today, though the cool/cloudy/drizzly weather probably helped a lot there. No wildlife beyond deer. The usual problems on the Colchuck overlap: people blaring music, discarded cans, and multiple chipmunks eating Cheetos.
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