Went up for a one-nighter to Tank Lakes via Necklace Valley. Left the trailhead at noon. Passed the WTA Backcountry crew, and thanked them for being there on the trail, putting in the hard work. Reached East Fork crossing, roughly 4.5 miles, at 1:45. The trail was easy, except for a few very brushy areas with stinging nettles. The climb up to Jade Lake has 3 trees blown over the trail, two of them are along the trail itself, and so you just walk along the downed log. But, I hope the WTA Crew will have it all cleared up by tomorrow.
Quick swim at Jade Lake, but the few mosquitos didn't let me linger. Little did I know how many of them awaited me up top. The trail up to Tank Lake is not too hard to find, just look for the cairns marking the way. I think the trail heads uphill before hitting Opal Lake, since I don't recall seeing it. Reached Tank Lake at 5:30, covering roughly 10.5 miles?
Other than the trail crew which camped at the East Fork crossing, and the lone hiker coming out from Tank, there were only two other parties heading up that I saw. Both were couples with a dog, and I saw one of them arrive at Tank shortly after me. Plenty of space to spread out, and lots of good campsites. The only serious issue were the mosquitos. They were relentless. After setting up camp, I walked up to a higher point in search of a breeze to give me some relief. That helped a little. After dinner and sunset, I happily dove into my tent around 9:30.
I was hoping the next morning, that the slight chill would give me some time before the bugs reappeared, but no, when I woke at 5, they were already on my tent. So, despite the perfect views, I packed up and was on trail by 6. Hiking out was smooth, and I reached the trailhead at 10:35.
Just want to mention once again how grateful I am to WTA for their trail crews. Watching 7 of them hiking up the Jade Lake trail this morning carrying all the saws, axes, and pulaskis to take care of those blowdowns reminded me of the hard work that volunteers give for all of our benefit.
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