We hiked up through the White Pass ski area and intersected the Chair Lift trail to cut a mile or so off the seven mile distance from US 12 to Shoe Lake. We headed for the top of the lower chairlift and from there followed the Cascade ski trail (see the map at http://www.skiwhitepass.com/mountain/traillarge.cfm). On the way down we followed the graveled road down from the top more of the way; it roughly follows the Holiday ski trail.
The weather was chilly, with snow and sun alternating, and sometimes simultaneously, but the cold weather meant no bugs whatsoever, and we certainly didn't overheat.
The trails are all in great shape, and we saw only two solo backpackers in the course of the day. Neither of us was tempted to take a dip in the lake when we arrived which was just as well as just as we started back a storm dumped graupel on us for fifteen minutes or so.
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