Lake 22 5-19-2018

It was a lovely cloudy Saturday morning, and I loaded up Cedar and Luna and headed for the mountains.  The forest was so beautifully green and wet!  I love the trail to Lake 22, other than a couple switchbacks that are hot and rocky, the rest is a jewel - huge gnarled trees, rushing water, and such a pretty lake waiting at the end!

There are quite a few places you can see waterfalls.  Most of the most visible ones are shorter and the taller cascades you get more of a peekaboo view through the trees.

There were wildflowers along the trail, mostly little yellow violets, yellow skunk cabbage, and white flowers called elkslip marshmarigolds.  I also saw a tiny blue butterfly, a pair of brown creepers, and a raven.

The part of the trail I like least is a few really rocky switchbacks going through a kind of slide area.  I tend to stumble over the rocks, and they also hold the heat, so while you're twisting ankles and stubbing toes on the way up, up, up, you're also getting heated.  The view though - the view is gorgeous!

There was still snow at Lake 22, starting maybe a quarter mile from the lake and remaining on and around the lake itself.  I heard the loud crack and grind of an avalanche when I reached the lake, but it was not visible.  Not the safest time to walk around the lake, although I saw people doing it.  My pups and I had a nice lunch sitting on a section of dry boardwalk and just soaked in that beauty. 

Happy adventuring!