Had a lovely frozen overnight at Ancient Lakes.
Was able to get to the lower trailhead ("Dusty Lake Trailhead") on Ancient Lake Road with no issue, and was also able to drive out the next day with no issue as well. Folks live close to the trailhead so I imagine it's clear most of the year.
We packed in our gear and hiked in under questionable conditions (mostly frozen fog/clouds at higher elevation), though it was mild outside (30s). We set up camp near the far lakes and spent the afternoon walking around, taking photos, and capturing field recordings. There was one other group (a couple) camping in the area, and later we noticed a couple camping on the cliffs up above. We saw a handful of others running/hiking in the area during the day.
We had carried in two bundles of firewood and that fortunately extended our time and comfort outdoors by a couple of hours. Ate dinner, stayed warm, and then went to sleep as a light snow came down--note the forecast said it would only snow a couple hours, but it probably snowed actively closer to 6 or 7, though it was very light and only left about 1/2" of precipitation.
The night was long and intense, even with a 4-season tent and a 15 degree sleeping bag. The forecast had indicated it would get down to 20 degrees, which I imagine it did. Didn't have a thermometer to check. There were plenty of night geese, owls, and coyotes whose tracks we saw in the snow the next morning.
If you're winter camping, I recommend camping slightly before the end wall in the valley, because we woke up at 8:30 in the shade and we were freezing enough to just leave. The other group positioned themselves well and were sitting in the full sun at the same time. If I do this trip again, it'll be with that wisdom in mind!
Overall, this is a great place to practice camping in harsh conditions, and it was all the better with the snowfall. I probably would have preferred 10 degrees warmer, but so it goes!
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