With the forecast for a sunny weekend we could not resist getting out on Saturday. Don called me Friday afternoon and by 0600 Saturday morning we were headed up US2 to Scenic for a snowshoe trip to Surprise lake.
The short road in to the parking had some snow and ice that most vehicles could handle (melting rapidly) but we parked above the RR tracks to avoid getting blocked in by an idle train. We departed about 0730 and followed a good track for about two miles. Then, in the open area below the first avalanche slope, the tracks disappeared and the snow became deeper. There we put on the snowshoes. We continued up above Surprise creek on the west side since that is the more photogenic and scenic part of this trip; also it is often used as the Winter route. There were no more tracks so we used the GPS compass and waypoints to guide us. We also used "handrails" of the mountains on the right and the creek to our left. As we got within about a thousand feet from the lake the route became steeper and the snow, deeper. The snowshoes sank in about 18 inches making it very exhausting to continue. We took more rest-steps and breaks to catch our breath while ascending. It was extremely tiring but the surprise was - we made it!
We saw no one else but did see boot tracks going in and back down, about two miles in. Recommend having good water-proof boots, snowshoes, poles, for this trip. Also traction devices for the lower portion might be useful if not putting on the snowshoes when departing the trailhead. Need to be in good physical condition for the powdery snow and allow about 8 hours up and back. Be mindful of the avalanche conditions before going as this route does traverse through the bottom of four steep, open slopes.
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