Before leaving the island, I stopped at the beach to try to photograph the super, blue, blood eclipse.  There were momentary glimpses through the clouds, but nothing I could capture with my camera.

It was snowing at the Cyrus Gates Overlook when I arrived at what was supposed to be sunrise.  It was cold, cloudy, foggy, dreary, and breezy...just right for a waterfall hike.

I hiked from the Overlook to the Rock Trail to the South Lost Lake Trail to the North Lost Lake trail junction to the lake.  There is a bog at the north end of the lake that you have to skirt, but the remainder of the trail is fine.

It rained for the entire hike, but I was so interested in the scenery that the rain did not matter.  The rock trail had several blowdowns from recent storms, but they have been cut and cleared.  The cliffs and moss-covered giant boulders are impressive.

With five inches of rain this month and a rainy morning, I was optimistic that the Lost Lake waterfall would be impressive today, and it definitely was.  I kept my camera dry with an umbrella and obtained the images I could see in my mind before I ever reached the waterfall.  What fun!

There were no other hikers on the trail today.  Too bad they missed a great opportunity to enjoy nature.

I will let my GPS track describe my route: http://www.movescount.com/moves/move196256203

Trail was in great shape aside from some mud here and there. Great tread and tons of trail runners out there. 12 miles, 3000 feet of gain.

Another enjoyable hike on this beautiful trail! We were 9 hikers today, and got a late morning start (1150am) due to some of us recovering from Friday night Wine Walk shennanigans.

Amazingly, there was no rain, and the big winds were invigorating!  There was LOTS of blowdown all along the trail.  Some huge trees entirely blocking, and lot of smaller stuff all over.  WTA rescue needed!  Nothing hard to get over or around, but the trail isn't even visible in spots.  Lots of mud in sections, but overall, the trail was great with lots of leaves for color.  Great day out!

There was a heavy hail storm as we drove up Cleator Road to the TH.  I was beginning to think that we had selected the wrong hike, but then the hail subsided.

We hiked from the parking lot to the Rock Trail to the Lost Lake trail to the East side of the Lake.  There was no waterfall at the outlet because the lake is about two feet too low after the long, hot, dry summer.

There were mushroom colonies near the lake and on the Lost Lake trail.  There is finally enough moisture to get the fungus growing.

It rained almost the entire time we were hiking, but we had a great time.  When you have the gear to stay dry and warm, the rain does not matter.  And the rain made the rocks look better than they do when they are dry.

It is no surprise that we did not see any other hikers this morning.  You have to be an ardent nature lover to go hiking when there is a hailstorm.

The road was washboardy in places but not bad.  

Our group of 6 started on the Ridge Trail just down the road from the Cleator parking lot.  We made a nice loop that ended with an ascent up the Rock Trail.

Weather was foggy and slightly rainy but the forest is super pretty anyway.

We will return on a clear, sunny day to enjoy the views!