A June Lake Snowshoe

Barely 2 miles from the trail head, I had to ask.

"Did you check the trail reports?"

The reason I asked was that we were almost to the snow park and there was no snow.

"The last report was from 2 weeks ago and the gal complained about all the snowmobiles out on the road."

That was another sign we might be in trouble - I had yet to see a truck hauling snowmobiles. Our snowshoe might just turn into a hike.

We pulled into the parking lot to find that yes there was snow, but it was crappy snow. It hadn't snowed for several days so there were bare spots in the trees and tree debris on top of what snow there was.

It wasn't an auspicious start to our adventure, but we'd make the most of it. We always do.

The "we" here was me, my Sissy, a friend of ours, and an intern at Sissy's company. The intern wanted to get out and about as much as possible before he headed home to New York. What better way to see the state than a snowshoe through the wilderness on the backside of our volcano.

Clouds hung low through most of the day so we weren't able to see the crater rim. But anything could happen, right? We set off down the snow covered road avoiding the few snowmobiles enjoying each others' company and sharing stories.

About a mile along the road, is the turn off to the lake. Snowmobiles aren't allowed on the trail and since there weren't that many, we didn't leave any hectic traffic jams behind.

Heading up through the woods, I realized I am in far worse shape than I imagined myself to be. This should be an easy jaunt yet here I was dragging behind and huffing and puffing. I have a lot of work to do to get into shape for climbing Mt St Helens.

It didn't take long for the rain to start and I have to say it - I hate snowshoeing in the rain. It's miserable. I'd rather have blowing snow than rain. Ugh. We soldiered on and in no time we were at the lake. A pretty sort of a lake especially in the snow with snags and a waterfall on the far side. In the summer, this place serves well as a starting point for the Loowit trail - the 30+ mile hike around the volcano. In the snow it's an enchanted land of snow queens and fairies. At least in my fantasy.

We shared a big tree near the edge of the lake that served well to shelter us from the rain and ate our lunch before heading back to the car in the rain.

It may be a long drive, but I do enjoy snowshoeing to June Lake. I just wish the rain could have waited a little longer.

June Lake Snowshoe

The forecast was for snow in the mountains. Lots of snow. Lots & lots of snow. So when my sister asked if I wanted to go snowshoeing with her & friends I thought SNOWGASM! Damn right I wanted to go.

Her plan was to meet mid-morning in Cougar then consolidate into 1 car for the trip to Marble Mountain SnoPark. But plans never work out and we met in the Lone Pine Resort late morning. The staff at Lone Pine were so sweet to let me sit in the cafe and filled me with coffee until she arrived. But we quickly got ourselves situated and we were heading up to the snopark with all the snowmobilers.

The first part of the trail meanders through the forest near the road. We could hear snowmobilers racing up and down the road - they sounded like they were having fun. But so were we, the heavy snows the previous day weighed down the trees making the scenery seem like a magical land.

One of number started having trouble in the deep snow in her snowshoes - they were too big for her to maneuver around and she kept falling. I recommended that we trade shoes since mine are lighter and smaller - after all the bigger shoes would help me clear the trail on the way to the lake. She was far happier in the smaller shoes and didn't fall as often.

After leaving the road, the trail starts to climb. It's only about 500 feet of gain but in snow it can be a bit harder. Even with the late start, we weren't in a hurry so took our time - resting when necessary, making snow angels, and admiring how the snow clung to barren tree limbs.

We finally made it to the lake, a little pond at the base of cliffs normally not much to write home about, but with the snow and ice and the waterfall, we were transfixed my the beauty. We barely noticed the flank of the volcano leading up into the clouds behind us. We tromped around the meadow a bit sinking to our knees in the soft snow before heading back to the car.

If you want to go on the snowshoe, follow ski trail 245 from the upper parking lot at the Marble Mountain snopark off of forest road 90. The trail is 5 miles round trip with about a 500 foot elevation gain. Plan plenty of time to explore the meadow around the lake. Sadly we had to cut our exploration short since we did get a late start. Dress in layers and take plenty of extra food & water - you will need extra in the cold.