We had planned for Circle Peak, but a foot of snow above 4500' led me to take my guests from out of town somewhere else. (Waaahhh! Summer really is over!) Somehow we managed the whole hike without too much rain. Most of the H2O was in the form of waterfalls. Nice tread at first, then a serious amount of erosion on the hills. There are so many roots and rocks ready to twist an ankle, I can't really recommend this as an all ages, family type hike. Our party had more than one spill negotiating slick rock. Only pride took a beating. The lake is pleasant, and not too crowded now. Time to start dressing warm, kiddies. The sign at the trailhead informing us that ""trail dollars are at work"" was a lie. I could be wrong, but I believe only WTA volunteers worked on this trail this summer. [Online Editor's note: I have lead two trips on Lake 22 this year and alsoused it for skills building twice. We have another work party on the 25thof this month. The Darrington crew HAS worked on it this yearremoving blowdown and repairing the railing and bull-rails on the bridgeover Twenty-Two Creek as well as doing other basic trail maintenance.]

Trail very compacted and clean near the beginning. Just slight surface mud. Lots of large rocks impregnate the trail most of the rest of the way. Watch each step to avoid twisted ankles. Very enjoyable hike for a father and 11 year old boy. Scenery is fantastic. Lots of hikers on trail. Trailhead parking was near full.

Eleven volunteers returned to Lake 22 on Sunday. We solved several drainage problems in the lower stretch of the trail. We installed a rock waterbar and several drain dips, reset some culverts and built a short section of turnpike. There are still several problem spots including muddy spots though so wear sensible shoes. We saw at least one pair of sandals with very wet socks. We also brushed and lopped much of the rock slide area and removed EVERY stalk of Devil’s Club within 5’ of the trail all the way up to the lake. The forest Service has done a beautiful job fixing the hand rail on the bridge over 22 Creek. They’re really solid and some huge new foot-rails will also make sure Junior and Fido don’t plunge into the creek either. The trail and the lake are totally free of snow. At the lake we tested the sea-worthiness of our hard-hats. Not only do they float well, they actually can skim across the lake at a pretty good clip with even a gentle breeze. We had a helmet race and found that the green ones sail twice as fast as the blue ones. I’m still, working on an explanation for this.

Dear Friends, Looking for a short hike to do with my teenage son and daughter, I chose Lake Twenty-two. While the scenery at the lake is excellent, I thought the trail leading to it was not. The rockiness that litters most of the trail was, in my opinion, so bad that - even with excellent foot wear, which all of us have - our feet took a serious beating and our enjoyment of the hike was impaired. Is there anything that can be done about it' Perhaps not. Otherwise, very uneventful. There was much water on the trail from Spring snow melt (to be expected) and, except for the muddiness that is created, and the poor footing, the outing was a moderate success. - Bill

Wonderful day to hike to the lake on this date. The trail is snow-free all the way to the lake, though quite a bit of snow remains just below the lake and around the lake. Lots of forest flowers in bloom including Woodnymphs and just before reaching the lake Marsh Marigolds. On the way up the railing on the bridge was still out, on the way down it was finally being replaced by trailworkers (bridge also being reinforced). No obstacles on trail, but trail very muddy in places. The views along the way were very pleasing.