We left by 8:15 and got to the trail head by 9:30. I believe we took the very last spot in the parking lot. As the season goes on we are learning to leave earlier and earlier for hikes... We got on all our gear and headed on. It was a clear day which made the views along the way stunning. 2 miles in we hit our first landmark of the Bridal Veils falls. It was another half mile off the trail (and some crazy incline later) and we were there. The falls themselves are a sight to see. We stopped here for awhile and then were on our way again. The incline got pretty serious at this point and felt never ending. 2 more miles felt like an eternity. There were many streams to cross and trees to climb over/under along the way as well. I read that .5 mile from the lake the snow started, this was about accurate. We got to try our new handy dandy Yaktrax's at this point. We learned our lesson from Lake 22 and slipping and sliding everywhere. They gave us just the traction we needed + our poles and we were golden. We finally arrived at the lake and yes indeed it was serene (except for the somewhat large amount of people). We wandered around the lake a bit taking in the views and just enjoying the moment. It was at this moment where we were wishing we had a stove to make some freeze dried warm comfort food + coffee after this long trek. Our Cliff bars and jerky would have to do. Up until this point the hike had taken 4.5 hours. The trek down took about an hour and a half making for a total of 6 hours for almost 9 miles and 2000 feet of elevation gain. By the end we were wiped out, feet sore and ready to relax. Thank goodness we got to end the day by going to get ciders with new friends. Another great day in the PNW.
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