Lake Ann — Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022

I went looking for larches in a dog friendly destination, and they didn’t disappoint! This was my first solo backpacking trip, and it went okay! I got a very late start (arrived at 3:30) so luckily people were leaving and I got a spot in the lot- there were cars allllll down the road. There were lots of little streams along the trail even in late fall, turns out I didn’t need to bring extra water for the dog. I found the trail pretty pleasant, up until the turn-off to Lake Ann, where it gets steep and rocky. Just as I started regretting my life choices, a view of Mt Rainier appeared to cheer me up. The lake was prettier than the trail description led me to believe, especially surrounded by golden larches. There were 3 other tents on a Saturday night, and I only saw one other unoccupied established tent site. In all, a really lovely hike!