What a scorcher!
The trail to Lake Ann is a little unusual in that you descend into a stream valley before climbing back up to the ridge right before the lake. The descent (which of course is your outbound ascent) is long and gradual, but the ascent to the lake is much steeper, rocky, and very exposed. It's here that you'll want a lot of water as well as sunscreen, especially on hot days like we're having now. There are, however, little clear streams most of the way up, even now, so if you have filtration (or a high risk tolerance) you can refill.
The blueberries here are just getting ripe; I'm assuming that's why they weren't quite as flavorful as the ones at Snow Lake last week. Plenty of unripe berries still, so there should be some for a while yet.
People always talk about how fun the lake is. I'm not super into backwoods dips, but this hike is still worthwhile for the amazing views of the face of Shuksan. The hike to the base of Curtis Glacier is only a short add-on but it wasn't in the cards on this hot day; might have to consider it when I go back.
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