lake froze over, some weak spots in ice near shore. about a foot or so of snow on ground near lake, trail well defined. one blow down about 1/4 way up also slide over trail near blow down has left about 20' of tangled logs over trail (no big deal) pretty spot.

Great place for photos at Heather Lake today. Not a breath of wind on the Lake. One new blow-down on the trail, about a mile and a half in. Water running down the trail from Friday night's heavy rains. About twenty people here later in the day. Had the Lake to myself in the morning for a while. The trip around the Lake only takes about thirty minutes, and the trail is in good shape.

Learned yesterday, that it takes longer to drive the 30 miles from Everett to the trailhead at Heather Lake during rush hour, than it does to hike to Heather Lake! Trail is in great shape. Only item of significance to report is that this is a hike that a frequent hiker can do on a weeknight this time of year that offers great rewards. Left the car at 6:05pm, and hiked clear around the lake, stopping to take 40 pics, and was still back to the car at 8:30, with an hour of daylight to spare. Sunset pic is from the Pilchuck trailhead.

First trip into the mountains this year - so we picked a relatively easy destination - Heather Lake on the Mountain Loop Highway. Started off from the trailhead at 9am with about 8 cars in the parking area - when we returned 4 hours later there were cars parked up an down the road. The trail to Heather lake was its usual rooty rocky self with some mud added in as we got nearer to the lake. Not much in the way of early season flowers yet. We had lunch (as did a few mosquitoes when we stopped moving - not many though), circumambulated around the lake, and headed down to greet all the late arrivals on their way up. Notable hikers included the solo mother with her growing child on her back and the girl in flip flops...

Here we go off for another hike in the woods, what a great adventure it should be. Heather Lake seemed like a good choice as the clouds were still hanging low in the mountains. The MT. Pilchuck road was getting graded and a fresh coat of gravel today. :) A clean restroom at the trailhead with no one else parked there yet. The trail up is clear of blow downs and no bugs at the Lake. There is water on the trail with lots of muddy spots and small stream crossings, best to have good boots to keep your feet dry. We had lunch on the North end of the Lake with only jumping fish and a lone duck as our companions. No snow except some on the South end of the lake high up on the rock cliffs. Several beautiful Water Falls that we could hear but barly see through the mist. We had the trail up and the Lake to ourselves for 4 hours. Then an lone hiker walked around the Lake and passed us on our way down. Some wildflowers blooming - Yellow Violets, Trillium, Salmonberry, Skunk Cabbage and Marsh Marigolds. A Great day in the woods for a Spring hike. :)