A sunny Thursday and daughter home on spring break - what more can you ask for a great hike. Heather Lake is an easy destination in terms of hiking time and getting the the trail head from Seattle. The trail is rooty, rocky but short and without much elevation gain. There was one blow down that had to be crawled over but other than this the trail was in good to excellent shape. There is snow at the lake and some snow on the very upper part of the trail as you approach the lake. Small sections of this were a bit slick but we had no problems getting up or down these. Most of the snow is recent and melting as temperatures have warmed. Met 6 different parties at or coming up to the lake. The road has several sections of bad pot holes starting about 1/4 mile from the trail head. The holes were not deep and we were able to drive around or through them in the family station wagon.

A pot-holed road leads you to the trailhead where you are greeted with a sheet of compact snow and ice. The icy patch right at the trailhead disappears as soon you enter the tree canopy. For the next 1.5 miles, the trail is virtually snow and ice-free. Only one wind-fall to scramble over on the whole trail. After that, expect to deal with boot-compacted snow and ice all the way to the lake. The train and boardwalk around the lake are well packed, and no loose snow is encountered unless you choose to step off the trail. The cirque provides its own sound effects with numerous unseen rock falls coming off the top. But the most unnerving is the unexpected gurgling and ""whoomping"" sounds coming from the lake itself as the water level changes and the ice shifts. One expects the second cousin of Loch Ness Monster to burst through at any moment, snorting steam and swallowing human visitors as hors d'oeuvres.

It all started on a febuary afternoon of 2005, when my family was going to go on a hike to Mt. Pilchuck summit but we got there too late. We decided on Heather Lake instead and my brother Kyle and Zack came and they don't get along very well. It was a nice hike to the lake. Once we got there we had a picnic and had Lunch/Dinner. After that, my mom and Kyle and Zach wanted to turn back, but me and Michael wanted to scramble up this rock pile to get a view above the lake which is off trail. After scrambling up, we noticed that it was starting to become sunset so we headed down. On the way down we almost lost the trail a few times and when it was almost dark we got to the parking lot. "No Way" I said because when we got there the car was gone and my mom or anyone else was'nt there exept for my brother Michael who had been with me the whole time. It so happend that my mother wanted to go up and see the sunset, but within the time we got there was the time she was gone. We waited a long time, but not long enough but we did'nt know at the time. We came up with a theory of what If they left us on accedent because Zach might have got in a fight with Kyle or something like that. So we decided to walk down to Verlot to go use a phone. It was dark by this point. We did not have money for the pay phone so we kept walking through the town. Later when it was about 8:00P.M. we got to someones house and asked if we could use there phone, they allowed us to and it was long distance and no one answered because my mom was not home. Just as we were about to leave the guy offers us a ride to Granite Falls which is were my Aunt who we do not know lives. Once we got there we could not find her house so he offered us a ride all the way home. Very generous to do that for some strangers and we live close to Seattle. After that we told him my mothers license plate number so that he could check there to make sure everything was ok. My mom's side of the story is she wanted to see the sunset from the upper parking lot and decided that we would not be back for a little while, but it just so happends that in that amount of time things can go out of hand. When they drove back they decided to hike up to Heather lake in the dark. When she got to the lake she looked all over and obviously could not find us because we were at home. After going back down my mom was worried sick and kept waiting. At about 12:00P.M. the guy who gave us a ride home told what happend and we all made it home safely.

It looked like a good day for a hike in the woods and Heather Lake was our choice. Slush and lots of Big Potholes on the road up to the trailhead. Soft snow and slush through woods with some creek beds running on trail. One blow down over trail about 1 mile up but easy to cross over. Around the Lake the snow was about 6"" deep but easily hiked with boots and gaiters. Had some Sun for our lunch break and took these photos. It started to snow again on our way down and it was a Great day in the woods.

Probably the last hike of the year, and a great day for it. The skies up the Robe Valley were blue, but most everything was in the shade due to the low angle of the sun. The mile of potholes from the Mountain Loop turn off was about par; no snow on the road. There were two vehicles at the parking lot and while I was gearing up a couple passed heading up toward Pilchuck and one car pulled in to the lot as I headed up the trail. This trail is no groomed marvel as much of it is rocky and rooty. There was some water on the trail and some mud and some packed snow from the saddle to the lake in spots. About half way up there is an 18 inch step-over windfall. Considering the time of year, the trail was in very good shape. There must have been a temperature inversion at work as the valley was frosty, yet the air seemed warmer the more the trail climbed. Rounding the dogleg and approaching the outfall, however, the temperature began to drop as the cold air gravitated down from the walls of Pilchuck and followed the water to the valley bottom. Around the lake there was an inch or so of snow, on the path and on the boardwalk sections. Care was required but the footing was not especially hazardous. The lake is about 90 percent iced over. At the lake I met a lone hiker heading back and a party of four walking around the lake. There were a couple of folks behind me on the trail, but I never saw them. As I sat and ate lunch on the south side of the lake the temperature seemed to drop noticeably – my little thermo read about 25° in pervasive shade. Only the tops of the trees along the ridge to the northeast were brushed with mid-afternoon sunshine. On the way back down it was chilly until leaving the outlet canyon where a check of the temp showed almost 40°, an amazing difference of about fifteen degrees in about half a mile and half an hour. As the solo hiker I met at the top said, “It is good to get out.” Sure ‘nuff.